reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20A - Department of Housing (§§ 441 — 441j) › § 441g - Internal organization

The Secretary is hereby empowered to establish, jointly with the Office of the Government Management and Budget, and with the approval of the Governor, the internal organization of the Department and he may for such purposes reorganize, consolidate, modify, abolish or annul the programs, activities and existing units, as well as create new units, but subject to the condition that no program which has been established by law may be eliminated without the consent of the Legislature. It is herein provided that in the organization and reorganization there may be transferred to the Department functions, programs or activities of the public corporations or agencies attached and vice-versa.
It is hereby provided that the Secretary may transfer or distribute among the various bodies, corporations, administrations, divisions or dependencies that are a part of, or attached to the Department, the powers, duties, functions, programs, activities, faculties, contracts, obligations, exemptions and privileges assigned, to the existing programs, activities or units, including the programs ruled by federal legislation. The Secretary is empowered to endow the functions, programs or activities that are transferred or distributed, with the properties of any nature, that are needed or appropriate for its operation.
To such purposes, the Secretary may delegate on any official of the Department to carry out all matters related to said transfer. The measures needed to ensure that the Department and its dependencies will assume the direction and administration of the programs, services, units, divisions and dependencies shall be adopted so that the services rendered by the Department are not interrupted or affected.
History —June 10, 1972, No. 97, p. 242, § 8; Aug. 9, 1991, No. 58, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20A - Department of Housing (§§ 441 — 441j) › § 441h - Additional transfers

There are hereby transferred to the Department to be used, employed or expended in connection with the functions or activities transferred by this chapter, the records and property which are being used in connection with said functions or activities, the personnel now employed in such functions or activities, the appropriations and available resources or which shall be available to be used in connection with said functions and activities.
History —June 10, 1972, No. 97, p. 242, § 9, eff. Jan. 2, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20A - Department of Housing (§§ 441 — 441j) › § 441i - Rights of employees

There is hereby guaranteed to all employees included in the transfers provided by this chapter, the rights acquired under the personnel laws and regulations, as well as the rights, privileges, obligations and status with respect to any retirement, pension or savings and loan fund system or systems to which they are affiliated upon the approval of this act.
History —June 10, 1972, No. 97, p. 242, § 10, eff. Jan. 2, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20A - Department of Housing (§§ 441 — 441j) › § 441j - Exceptions

(a) No provision of this chapter shall be understood as modifying, altering or invalidating any resolution, agreement, claim or contract that the officers responsible of the agencies and programs transferred hereunder may have executed and which are in force upon the taking of effect of this act.
(b) Except as to the modifications that may be necessary in adjusting the agencies and programs transferred under this chapter to the departmental structure, the laws governing said agencies and programs shall continue in force, except those provisions which might be in conflict with this chapter, which are hereby repealed.
(c) All regulations governing the operation of the organizations, programs and functions transferred by this chapter and which are in force upon the taking of effect of this act shall continue in force until same be altered, modified, amended, repealed or substituted by the Secretary, pursuant to the law.
(d) The Governor is hereby authorized to adopt those transitory measures and to make the decisions that may be necessary for the purposes of making the transfers decreed by this chapter without interrupting the administrative procedures and the functions of any of the organizations and programs transferred.
(e) The Governor is likewise hereby authorized to designate temporarily an officer to coordinate in his name the pertinent actions to secure that the Department begins its operations without affecting the normal programming of said agency.
History —June 10, 1972, No. 97, p. 242, § 11, eff. Jan. 2, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444a - Restructuring

The Sports and Recreation Department is hereby restructured pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, said Department retaining its juridical personality and shall be under the direction of a Secretary, who shall be appointed by the Governor, with the Senate’s advice and council, in agreement with Section 5 of Article IV of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 4, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444b - Functions and powers of the Sports and Recreation Department

The Sports and Recreation Department shall have, without limitation, the following functions and powers:
(a) The formulation and implementation of the sports and recreational policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
(b) the planning and organization of the sports and recreational system of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
(c) the definition of guidelines and programs for the policy of promotion and development of sports and recreation in its different levels;
(d) the promotion and organization of sports in all its levels and the tutelage of sports entities under the terms of this chapter and regulations to be enacted;
(e) the regulation of activities related to the practice of sports and the conditions required in sports facilities;
(f) education in sports matters, as well as the granting of licenses that accredit them;
(g) the order, organization and programming of sports for school children, performed in coordination with the Department of Education, in a way that favors and guarantees a quality base sport;
(h) promoting sports and [Puertorican] high-level and high-performance sportspersons;
(i) promoting medical attention for sportspersons;
(j) inspecting the action of the sanctioning authority in sports and recreational matters;
(k) representing Puerto Rico before state and international organizations, without prejudice to the functions and powers of the [Puertorican] Olympic Committee and its affiliated federations, and
(l) granting sports prizes and distinctions.
(m) The promotion, organization, and formulation of an exercise and recreational activity plan for senior citizens throughout Puerto Rico.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 5, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004; July 3, 2013, No. 52, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444d - Charges and reimbursements

The Department may impose and collect fees and charges for the granting of licenses, permits, certifications, authorizations, endorsements or accreditations and the rendering of services to municipalities, agencies and private people, including committees, federations, sports and recreational associations, with prior approval of the corresponding regulations. Additionally, it may force the reimbursement of fees, extraordinary expenses and other unforeseen direct costs incurred for professional services and counseling in investigations, hearings and other procedures carried out pursuant to this chapter.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 7, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444e - Special funds

(a) Collections by the Department shall be covered into a special account called Special Fund of the Sports and Recreation Department, under the custody of the Secretary of the Treasury, which shall be preferentially used to defray expenses for recreation and sports programs and services. Furthermore, they may be used to defray expenses of administration, conservation and development of recreational and sports installations and for the purchase and sale of real property. The existing balances in the accounts corresponding to the different collections shall be reprogrammed in agreement with the collections mentioned previously.
(b) The High Performance Athletes Trainers Fund is hereby created, in the books of the Department of the Treasury, as a special fund, determined and separate from any other money or fund from the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which shall be administered in agreement with the rules established for similar funds and shall be used for study courses and training scholarships, and for hiring technicians and trainers to prepare and to train high performance athletes to represent us in high ranking international sports events. The Fund shall be supplied with appropriations provided by the Legislature and with any other money donated, transferred or ceded by any private person or entity, or of the federal, Commonwealth or municipal government.
(c) The remainder of funds that by June 30 of each year has not been used and committed for the established purposes shall be reprogrammed in the same Fund for the following fiscal year.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 8, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444f - Provision of funds for organizations

Any organization under the Department’s jurisdiction that needs funds for its operations from the Commonwealth Treasury shall request them directly from the Sports and Recreation Department. The Secretary shall make a preliminary evaluation of such requests and shall make the pertinent recommendations to the Puerto Rico Legislature in the Department’s annual budgetary request, without this being understood as a limitation on the powers and faculties of the Legislature.
The organizations that receive public funds, pursuant to the provisions of this section shall submit reports to the Department, as established through regulations, in addition to those other reports on activities and disbursements required by other laws.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 9, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444j - Professional Sports Commission

Professional sports shall be under the control of the Professional Sports Commission, hereinafter “the Sports Commission”, attached to the Office of the Secretary, headed by a General Commissioner and formed by associated commissioners, named by the Secretary, in representation of the various sports, who shall serve as advisors to the General Commissioner, except for the sports of cockfighting and boxing, which shall be supervised by independent commissions. The naming of the associated commissioners may be temporary or permanent, according to the specific characteristics of the activity in question.
(a) The Sports Commission shall regulate general aspects of the safety and welfare of athletes, underage athletes and spectators, for which it shall adopt general regulations for professional sports activities in Puerto Rico.
(b) Additionally, it shall supervise, subsidiary, in order to guarantee compliance with the laws controlling commercial, entrepreneurial and labor activities, applicable in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and it shall issue regulations about the necessary elements for protecting the welfare of young sportsmen who could be talented for professional sports, to avoid their being exposed to risk the loss of educational possibilities.
(c) The Sports Commission shall not intervene in technical-competitive aspects of the sport, which shall be carried out according to the norms of the sports federation or of the leading organization of the sport at a national level.
(d) Any organization that operates, produces, or promotes any activity, event, season or professional sports tournament, as defined in this chapter, must have a license or authorization issued by the Commission.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 13, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444k - Puerto Rico Institute for the Development of Sports and Recreation

The Puerto Rico Institute for the Development of Sports and Recreation, hereinafter “the Institute”, is hereby established, attached to the Office of the Secretary, with the purpose of promoting citizen participation and sports and recreational activities through organizational education and development. The Institute shall carry out the following functions:
(a) It shall create the necessary schools to produce curricula and to confer professional degrees in the area of training, sports officers and recreation;
(b) it shall develop scientific research activities, and compile and disseminate information related to sports, physical education and recreation in Puerto Rico;
(c) it shall obtain and maintain the accreditation of the organizations that oversee education in Puerto Rico;
(d) it shall provide training and technical support to the personnel of organizations concerning recreational and sports management, particularly in areas of development, planning, operations and marketing;
(e) it shall establish and implement the requirements necessary for the rendering of professional services related to the formation, direction, rehabilitation, training, animation or others of a technical sports character that are established, to request that the personnel in charge of rendering them have the licenses or degrees issued by the Department. The licenses or certifications required to practice those professions and the requirements for the validation of experience and grace periods for acquiring a license shall be established by regulations;
(f) it shall offer technical support to stimulate and expedite citizen participation in the formation of nonprofit organizations devoted to promoting recreational and sports activities, emphasizing the activities shared by the Government, citizens and the private sector, and
(g) it shall accredit and maintain a Registry of Sports and Recreational Entities, as provided in § 444 l of this title and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
The provisions of this section shall be harmonized with what is established by §§ 148—148m of this title, known as “Puerto Rico General Education Council Act of 1999”.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 14, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444l - Public Registry of Sports and Recreational Entities and Accreditation

The Department shall hereby establish the Public Registry of Sports and Recreational Entities, the publicity of which shall be made through the means determined in the regulations, which shall include electronic publications. For this purpose it is hereby provided that:
(a) Private organizations that offer sports or recreational programs or activities for children must follow the Department accreditation guidelines for similar programs.
(b) No organization, entity or person, physical or juridical, may operate, administer, or organize sports or recreational programs in public, state or municipal facilities, without being accredited by the Department.
(c) The Department may grant funds and provide help or benefits to entities that, pursuant to their objectives, contribute to the integral development of citizens, be it through recreation, sports, educational or cultural programs, and others, according to §§ 444f and 444g of this title.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 15, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444m - Relationship with municipalities

The Department acknowledges that the municipalities are one of the pillars for development of the National Plan for Sports and Recreation. Within this context, the Department shall have the responsibility of assisting and supporting the municipalities in all aspects related to the promotion and furtherance of recreational and sports activity. This relationship shall be of a voluntary nature, without hindering the powers that this chapter grants to the Department and the ones granted to municipalities in §§ 4001 et seq. of Title 21, known as the “Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991”.
In the relationship between the Department and the municipalities, it is hereby established that:
(a) The responsibility for construction and maintenance of municipal recreational and sports public works falls upon the municipal entities, except when the law provides otherwise;
(b) the Department shall advise the municipalities about the procedure for planning, design and construction of sports and recreational installations and shall offer them support in the area of training and programming;
(c) the Department shall oversee the management and maintenance of the community recreational installations transferred pursuant to §§ 814—834 of Title 21, and regulations promulgated by virtue of same, and
(d) the municipalities shall be provided with the resources available in the Department, particularly for base sports programs, sports for all and sports for special populations.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 16, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444n - Providing services for special populations

The Department shall be responsible for designing recreational and sports programs adapted for [special populations] and shall promote the rendering of integrated services to said population[s], to comply with the provisions of this chapter and of any other applicable special laws.
The Department shall establish, additionally, the criteria that shall guide the provision of sports and recreational services for special populations and programs to advise and to train the people and organizations interested in the use of free time by persons with physical and mental disabilities, and shall also design campaigns for the promotion of programs and activities that include what relates to recreational therapy, physical education and sports adapted to [these] population[s].
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 17, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444o - Sports and recreation for all

In compliance with the public policy of recreation and sports for all, the Department:
(a) Shall plan, based on a study of community needs, the available geographic resources and the new recreational and sports trends in the international arena;
(b) shall foster research that identifies the social, economic, cultural and geographic factors that interact in recreational behavior patterns;
(c) shall promote equal opportunity in the development of recreational and sports activities that include all the phases and conditions of the population’s life, in agreement with the particularity of each geographic area of the Country, using available resources from the public as well as the private sector;
(d) shall provide the necessary conditions for the development of technicians, leaders and motivators specialized in programs and development of activities for the enjoyment of free time;
(e) shall establish and implement the National Plan for Recreation and Sports that shall be the main instrument of national action for the development of sports and recreation and guarantee access to the same for the enjoyment of free time. This plan must be approved by the Council and shall determine objectives and action, as well as the corresponding responsibilities for each organization or entity that participates in the work inherent to the recreational and sports spheres of the Country; and
(f) shall consolidate the structure of base sports under a program of competitions, which is integrated and unified with the national federations, sports associations and public and private school leagues, to attain their optimal development, and
(g) shall have a park without barriers in every region for the enjoyment of persons with physical disabilities. Said park shall be equipped with all the facilities needed for the population with disabilities to enjoy recreational and sports activities.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 18; Dec. 13, 2005, No. 151, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444q - Equality of prizes in sports encounters

It shall be illegal for recreational and sports organizations that organize or sponsor competitive events for which public funds are received to establish differences in prizes or material benefits that directly or indirectly, produce or attempt to produce, communicate or promote discrimination against women as athletes.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 20, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444r - Reintegration and retirement of high performance athletes

The Department shall recognize the years, experience and achievements attained by high performance athletes as part of the work experience required to occupy employment positions in areas of recreation or sports and shall study the conditions of retired athletes to establish, through regulations, the adequate aid for their reintegration to society.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 21, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444s - Attachment of the National Parks Company

The National Parks Company, created by §§ 501—519 of Title 15, is hereby attached to the Sports and Recreation Department. The Secretary of the Sports and Recreation Department shall be the President of the Board of Directors of the National Parks Company and shall establish, through the Board, the general policy for complying with the mission of the National Parks Company in a way that is consistent and coordinated with the public policy implemented by the Sports and Recreation Department.
The National Parks Company shall function as an instrumentality and a public corporation with legal personality and with administrative and fiscal powers separate from the Sports and Recreation Department.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 22, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444t - Alternative methods for conflict resolution

It is hereby established that an alternative procedure for conflict resolution may be sought in matters of sports, without prejudice to the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee. Submission to this procedure shall be of a voluntary nature and it may be initiated by the Department with the filing of a claim, request or petition, or at the request of the General Court of Justice, in agreement with the legal norms and regulations applying to alternative methods of conflict resolution. It is Provided, That agreements made within an alternative method shall be recorded in writing and shall be mandatory between the parties. If so convened, its content shall not be disclosed.
People designated as interventors, mediators or arbitrators must be knowledgeable of sports matters, have no interest in the conflict, remain impartial and have the support of the parties in the conflict.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 23, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444u - Primary jurisdiction

(1) The Department shall address in the first instance:
(a) Controversies in sports matters, without detriment to those that are under the jurisdiction of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee;
(b) any matter related to the granting of rights, licenses or fines that have been imposed during the use of the powers conferred by this chapter, and
(c) any matter that is brought up through a complaint, request or petition that is under the Department’s jurisdiction.
(2) For such purposes, the Secretary may name examining officers to preside over adjudication procedures, who shall have authority to:
(a) Administer oaths and take declarations.
(b) Issue summons and require the presentation of reports, books, papers and documents deemed necessary to perform his/her functions.
(c) To receive the pertinent evidence and to rule on it.
(d) To take depositions or to order them taken.
(e) To conduct public hearings and to preside over them.
(f) To conduct and to preside over preliminary conferences for the clarification and simplification of matters under dispute.
(g) To rule on motions and procedural or similar matters.
(h) To recommend decisions to the Secretary.
It shall be the duty of the examining officers, once the matter is submitted to their consideration, to prepare a report for the Secretary with the recommended decision. The report must contain a summary of all the evidence received, a narrative of the conclusions of fact and of law in accordance with the evidence received, the facts and the applicable law.
The final decision, signed by the Secretary, must be issued in writing, within ninety (90) days after the hearings are concluded and it shall mention the right to request a reconsideration.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 24, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444v - Sanctions and orders

The Secretary shall have the power to impose sanctions and to issue orders to any natural or juridical person, in agreement with the following criteria:
(a) With prior notice and a hearing, to impose administrative sanctions and fines for the violation of this chapter and of others administered by the Department, its regulations and orders issued in pursuance thereof.
(b) To issue orders to cease and desist with respect to any action or activity, and, with prior notice, to revoke, cancel or suspend any authorization granted under this chapter and any law administered by the Department and to establish the corrective terms and conditions that he/she deems necessary to attain the purposes of this chapter.
(c) To impose fines according to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, §§ 2101 et seq. of this title, up to a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for violations against the provisions of this chapter, its regulations and orders issued in pursuance thereto.
(d) To impose and to order the payment of costs, expenses and attorney’s fees, as well as payment for costs and fees for other professional and consulting services, incurred by the Department.
Any person who operates, establishes, produces or promotes any recreational, professional or high risk sports activity, as established by §§ 444i and 444j of this title, without a license by the Department shall be subject to fines of five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the first violation; ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for the second one and shall be precluded from acquiring the corresponding license.
Any person who renders professional services related to the formation, direction, rehabilitation, training, or other of a technical sports nature, as provided by § 444k of this title, and established in the regulations, without a license by the Department, shall be subject to fines of one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the first violation; five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the second, and shall be precluded from acquiring, the corresponding license.
The Secretary may resort to the Court of First Instance to request compliance with any order it has issued.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 25, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444w - Reconsideration

Any party adversely affected by the Secretary’s decision may request the Secretary’s reconsideration within twenty (20) days counted from the date when notice of the decision is given. This term may be waived or extended, with the written consent of all [parties] and for justified cause. The Secretary shall have fifteen (15) days to decide the requested reconsideration, after which, if no decision has been issued, it shall be understood that the requested reconsideration has been denied.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 26, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444x - Judicial review

Any party adversely affected by the decision after the Secretary’s reconsideration, may request the judicial review of the Circuit Court of Appeals. The request for review must be filed within thirty (30) days from the date when a copy of the notice of the resolution of the case is filed.
The Secretary’s decision shall remain in force until there is a final and firm decision issued by the Circuit Court of Appeals quashing the Secretary’s decision. It is hereby established that the request for review filed with said court does not stay the effects of the Secretary’s regulation, order or resolution.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 27, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 20D - Sports and Recreation Department (2004) › § 444y - Incidental powers

The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally constructed, to comply with its purposes and whenever some specific power or authority is given to the Department, the enumeration shall not be constructed as excluding or preventing any other power or authority conferred to the same. Furthermore, the Department shall have, in addition to the powers enumerated in this chapter, the implicit and incidental powers that are appropriate and necessary to implement those provided above.
History —Jan. 8, 2004, No. 8, § 28, eff. 120 days after Jan. 8, 2004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 457 - Emergency Fund—Creation

There is hereby authorized and created a trust fund of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, under the custody of the Secretary of the Treasury, which shall be known as the “Emergency Fund”.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 458 - Emergency Fund—Unencumbered surplus

Beginning with Fiscal Year 1995-96, the Emergency Fund shall be capitalized annually by an amount not less that one-fifth (0.20) of one percent of the total of the Joint Resolution for the Budget. Beginning Fiscal Year 1998-99, said contribution shall be not less than one percent of the total net rents for the previous fiscal year. The Governor of Puerto Rico and the Director of the Management and Budget Office, by delegation of the latter, may order the income from any income source into the Fund for an amount greater than the amount set forth herein, when so deemed convenient. The balance of said Emergency Fund shall never exceed one hundred fifty (150) million dollars, whichever is greater [sic].
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 2; Aug. 18, 1994, No. 89, p. 5, § 4; Aug. 20, 1997, No. 93, § 2; Aug. 28, 2003, No. 222, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 460 - Emergency Fund—Transfer to General Fund

If at the beginning of any fiscal year the receipts of the General Fund are insufficient to cover regular expenses of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for any given month, or if during any fiscal year the funds required are insufficient to pay the installments of principal of Commonwealth or municipal obligations represented by bonds or notes and interest thereon, when such obligations fall due and become payable a transfer from the Emergency Fund may be made to meet such governmental requirements in the manner prescribed herein; Provided, That such transfer of funds shall never be made in an amount in excess of seventy-five per cent (75%) of the sum of money deposited in the Emergency Fund at the time; And provided, further, That such transfers to the General Fund and to the public debt sinking funds shall be entered upon the books of the Secretary of the Treasury and shall be considered as advances reimbursable to the Emergency Fund in installments, as rapidly as funds become available.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 461 - Emergency Fund—Certification by Secretary of the Treasury

The transfers from the Emergency Fund to the General Fund of the Government shall be made when the Secretary of the Treasury certifies to the Governor that there are general fund revenues in process of collection sufficient to meet the financial program for the corresponding fiscal year, and that such resources will be made available, by collection, within the said fiscal year, including the amount necessary to repay the advances requested in accordance with §§ 457-465 of this title.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 462 - Emergency Fund—Resolutions for disbursements

Disbursements from the “Emergency Fund” shall be made through a resolution issued by the Governor of Puerto Rico, with previous recommendation of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Chairperson of the Planning Board, and the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works. In the case of the Commonwealth Emergency Management and Disaster Administration Agency, the Governor, with previous consultation with the Management and Budget Office, shall submit the budget of said agency for the consideration and approval of the Legislature.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 6; July 17, 2001, No. 57, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 463 - Emergency Fund—Loans from Commonwealth Treasury

When the revenues of the Emergency Fund so require and there arises a situation as anticipated in § 459 of this title the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, on petition of the Governor or the officer to whom he may delegate, to grant loans to said fund, chargeable to any funds deriving from non-fiscal year appropriations as well as from any trust funds in the Commonwealth Treasury, up to the maximum provided in § 458 of this title. The Secretary of the Treasury, in mutual agreement with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall recover, in case said loans have been made from trust funds, the amounts loaned plus interest computed at the rate prevalent at the time the loans were made, and in other cases, without interest, through appropriations made in the General Budget Act in the fiscal year next following that in which said loans were made, or in subsequent years if the revenue estimate does not allow the appropriating of the full amount thereof.
The authorization herein granted shall not be construed as impairing the rights, duties and other obligations contracted upon individually creating the trust funds, and the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico shall see to it that at all times there is sufficient cash on hand to meet immediately the disbursements authorized against said funds.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 464 - Emergency Fund—Investment in securities

The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to invest in easily salable securities those sums from the Emergency Fund that in his judgment are not needed immediately to carry out the purposes of §§ 457-465 of this title. The interest earned by such investments shall be covered into the Emergency Fund.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 465 - Emergency Fund—Existing properties and accruals

The Fund hereby created shall supersede and replace, and shall be considered as a continuation of, the Emergency Fund created by Act No. 33 approved April 28, 1932, as subsequently amended. All kinds of revenues, securities, credits, advances, properties and other accruals belonging to the now existing Emergency Fund shall form a part of and be transferred to the Emergency Fund created by §§ 457-465 of this title.
History —June 21, 1966, No. 91, p. 304, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 484 - Application requesting Governor to take charge of public works

Any agency of the Government of Puerto Rico entrusted with the execution of any public works or for the benefit of which the execution of any public works has been directed may file with the Governor an application requesting the Governor to take charge of such works.
Such application shall be considered by the Governor and upon approval by him the said applicant agency shall transfer to the Governor the funds, whether regular or loan funds, which may have been appropriated for such works.
For the purposes of §§ 484-486 of this title the term “agency of the Government of Puerto Rico” shall also mean any municipality.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 9, p. 36, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 485 - Application requesting Governor to take charge of public works—Governor’s decision to carry out public works

The Governor may, on his own initiative, decide that he shall carry out any public works entrusted to him, or the carrying out of which may have been directed for the benefit of any agency of the Government of Puerto Rico other than a municipality; and he may likewise direct that such agency shall transfer to him the funds appropriated for the said public works, in order that he may carry out such works.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 9, p. 36, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 486 - Application requesting Governor to take charge of public works—Execution of public works after transfer

Upon approval by the Governor of the application and the transfer referred to in §§ 484 and 485 of this title, or after action has been taken pursuant to the provisions of § 485 of this title, and after the said transfer of funds has been made, the Governor shall proceed to carry out the public works involved in the transfer of funds approved; and shall, in accordance with the act which appropriates such funds for the execution of said public works, and in accordance with the laws of Puerto Rico applicable thereto, dispose for said purpose of the funds so transferred.
History —July 1, 1947, No. 9, p. 36, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 487 - Abandonment of service by Government officials or employees

In case of abandonment of the service, or threat of abandonment of the service, by a number of officials or employees of departments, dependencies, or agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico acting in concerted action, whether employed on a salary or daily wage basis, when in the judgment of the Council of Secretaries such abandonment determines an emergency in the rendering of the services entrusted to such officials or employees, whether employed on a salary or daily wage basis, the Governor of Puerto Rico, may, with the approval of the Council of Secretaries, declare a state of emergency to exist in the department, dependency, or agency affected.
History —Dec. 16, 1946, No. 3, p. 92, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 488 - Abandonment of service by Government officials or employees—Transfer of savings from emergency

After a state of emergency has been declared to exist pursuant to the provisions of § 487 of this title, all savings in the funds of the department, dependency, or agency affected which accrue from said emergency, shall, under §§ 487-492 of this title, be transferred to the organizations which have charge of the operation and maintenance of school lunchrooms, public schools, nursery schools, rural waterworks or water services, hospitals, scholarships for needy youths, milk stations, pension funds and the Emergency Fund, as well as to organizations engaged in slum clearance.
History —Dec. 16, 1946, No. 3, p. 92, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 489 - Abandonment of service by Government officials or employees—Allocation of savings

The Council of Secretaries shall allocate to each organization mentioned in § 488 of this title, such proportion of such savings as it may deem adequate.
History —Dec. 16, 1946, No. 3, p. 92, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 490 - Abandonment of service by Government officials or employees—Request for certification of savings

At any time during the state of emergency, or after the same is declared terminated by the Council of Secretaries, the Governor of Puerto Rico shall request of the head of the department, dependency, or agency affected, a certification of the savings effected.
History —Dec. 16, 1946, No. 3, p. 92, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 491 - Abandonment of service by Government officials or employees—Certification to office of Governor

Upon service of such a request for a certification of savings, the official served therewith shall certify such sums to the Office of the Governor.
History —Dec. 16, 1946, No. 3, p. 92, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 21 - Emergency Agencies (§§ 451 — 492) › § 492 - Abandonment of service by Government officials or employees—Definitions

(a) Department, dependency, or agency of the Commonwealth Government.— Any branch of the Commonwealth Government, except public corporations and instrumentalities, the Land Authority, as regards the agricultural and industrial production undertakings thereof and the University of Puerto Rico.
(b) Savings.— Salaries and wages not paid to workmen, employees, and officials.
History —Dec. 16, 1946, No. 3, p. 92, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 22 - Agreements to Provide Services or Facilities to United States or States of the Union (§§ 501 — 503) › § 501 - Authorization

The heads of departments, agencies, instrumentalities or public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with the previous express authorization of the Governor of Puerto Rico, are hereby authorized to enter into agreements with any political subdivision, city, agency, or instrumentality of the Government of the United States of North America, or of the governments of the States of the Union, for the purpose of providing them services and facilities.
History —Sept. 26, 1961, No. 1, p. 385, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 22 - Agreements to Provide Services or Facilities to United States or States of the Union (§§ 501 — 503) › § 502 - Stipulations in agreements

The agreements shall specify the types of services and facilities to be provided by the departments, agencies, instrumentalities or public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as the reimbursement of the reasonable costs for such services and facilities whenever so agreed upon, or whether the services are to be rendered gratis; Provided, That reimbursements received for services rendered or facilities supplied shall be covered into the general fund, save in the case of public corporations whose funds are not under the custody of the Secretary of the Treasury; in which case, such reimbursements shall be covered into the funds of the public corporation providing the service or facility; And, provided, further, That whenever the entity rendering the services or supplying the facilities lacks the necessary funds to perform the terms of the agreement, the Secretary of the Treasury may advance funds to said agency for such purposes.
History —Sept. 26, 1961, No. 1, p. 385, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 22 - Agreements to Provide Services or Facilities to United States or States of the Union (§§ 501 — 503) › § 503 - Scope of provisions

The provisions of §§ 501-503 of this title shall not impair any power granted by any other act to any of the departments, agencies, instrumentalities or public corporations of the Commonwealth to enter into agreements with government agencies or instrumentalities of other governments or institutions.
History —Sept. 26, 1961, No. 1, p. 385, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 24A - Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official (§§ 532 — 532q) › § 532 - Short title

This chapter shall be known and cited as the “Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official”.
History —Sept. 27, 1985, No. 2, p. 816, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1985.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 24A - Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official (§§ 532 — 532q) › § 532a - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
(a) Public agency or entity.— Shall mean any department, board, commission, office, division, bureau, public corporation, quasi-public or public-private corporation or subsidiary thereof, or instrumentality of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including its municipalities and corporations, and any officer or employee thereof in the performance of his/her official duties.
(b) Private entity.— Shall mean any association, partnership, federation, institute, entity, incorporated or not incorporated, for profit or nonprofit private corporations, guilds or any natural or juridical person.
(c) Office.— Means the Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official created by § 532b of this title with the purpose and responsibility of conducting a program for the protection and advocacy of the rights of persons with disabilities.
(d) Persons with disabilities.— Means every person who has a physical, mental or sensory disability that substantially limits one or more of the essential activities of his/her life; who has a medical history or record of a physical, mental or sensory disability; or is deemed to have a physical, mental or sensory disability.
(e) Investigating official.— Means the director or chief executive officer of the Office of the Disabled Persons Investigating Official, appointed pursuant to § 532b-1 of this title, who is charged with its implementation.
History —Sept. 27, 1985, No. 2, p. 816, § 2; Aug. 30, 1999, No. 298, § 1; July 30, 2007, No. 88, § 1.