reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3462 - License—Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B)

(1) Be over eighteen 18 years of age.
(2) A person of good moral repute.
(3) Negative Criminal Record Certificate issued by the Police of Puerto Rico within six (6) months prior to the filing of the application for a license.
(4) Hold a diploma certifying that he/she has [passed] the fourth year of high school or its equivalent.
(5) Have [passed] a emergency medical technician basic course, offered by an academic institution accredited by the General Education Council or the Council on Higher Education, based on the national curriculum established by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for this course, or from an institution recognized by the corresponding accrediting body empowered to do so, and accepted by the Department.
(6) Have [passed] the examinations offered by the Board, or hold the EMT-B certificate issued by a state that has minimum requirements similar to those of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(7) A health certificate issued by a licensed physician.
(8) A Module C, C.P.R. Certificate issued by the American Heart Association (A.H.A.) or C.P.R., for professional lifesavers of the American Red Cross, or of the Medical Science Campus of the University of Puerto Rico, or by an academic institution or provider duly accredited by the American Heart Association.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3463 - License—Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT-P)

(1) Be 18 years of age or older.
(2) Be a person of good moral repute.
(3) Have a negative Criminal Record Certificate issued by the Police of Puerto Rico within the six (6) months prior to the filing date of the application for a license.
(4) Hold a diploma certifying that he/she has [passed] the fourth year of high school or its equivalent.
(5) Have [passed] an emergency medical technician paramedic course, offered by an academic institution accredited by the General Education Council or the Council on Higher Education, based on the national curricula established by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for this course, or from an institution recognized by the corresponding accrediting body entitled to do so, and accepted by the Department.
As of the year two thousand (2000), the Secretary may require every person who desires to obtain an emergency medical technician paramedic license to have satisfactorily completed an Associate Degree in Medical Emergencies offered by an accredited university institution. This associate degree shall include, among others, all the minimum requirements established by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the national curriculum of emergency medical technician paramedic.
(6) Have passed the examinations offered by the Board or hold a certificate issued by a state that has minimum requirements similar to those of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(7) A health certificate issued by the public health unit.
(8) A Module C, C.P.R. Certificate issued by the American Heart Association (A.H.A.) or C.P.R., for professional American Red Cross lifesavers or from the Medical Science Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 13.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3464 - Functions of the basic emergency medical technicians and paramedics

(1) Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B). — The duly trained Emergency Medical Technician-Basic, after having obtained his/her license, may provide medical assistance or first aid in order to preserve health or reduce the damage or disability that may arise as a result of an accident or illness. Such emergency medical assistance or first aid may consist, among others, of the management of medical equipment; basic medical evaluation; airway management, including assisted ventilation; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; cervical-spinal immobilization and reduction of fractures or dislocations; administration of supplementary oxygen; shock treatment; management of pediatric, surgical, respiratory, and cardiac emergencies, including automatic defibrillation; psychiatric help and assistance in uncomplicated emergency childbirth as determined by the Secretary through regulations.
(2) Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P). — The duly-trained Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic, after having obtained his/her license, may give medical assistance or [first] aid, in order to preserve the health or reduce the damage or disability that may arise as a result of an accident or illness. This medical assistance or first aid may consist, among others, of the medical evaluation of the patient, cervical-spinal immobilization of fractures or dislocations; administering of supplementary oxygen; advanced airways management, including endotracheal intubation; invasive emergency medical procedures, including intravenous therapy, insertion of cannulas, and bone marrow infusion; administration of emergency intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, endotracheal, oral and sub-lingual medication; thoracic decompression; needle cricotracheotomy; shock treatment, including application and management of the pneumatic anti-shock garment (PASG); cardiac electric therapy, including manual and automatic defibrillation, cardioversion and application and management of external non-invasive pacemaker; respiratory, cardiac, surgical, pediatric, gyneco-obstetric and psychiatric emergency assistance, and as determined by the Secretary, through regulations. When the [EMT-P] does not have the direct support of a medical director or control, his/her functions shall be strictly limited to the protocol established by the Medical Emergency Corps or the Department of Health.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 14.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3465 - Denial, suspension or revocation of license

The Board may deny, suspend or revoke the license granted to practice as an emergency medical technician upon due notice and hearing to any person who:
(a) Has obtained the license through fraud or deceit [or error of the Board].
(b) Is convicted of a felony or any crime that implies moral turpitude.
(c) Is declared to be mentally unqualified by a competent court or medical expert, in which case the person may be reinstated as soon as the person is again declared qualified.
(d) Incurs some sort of negligence and/or crime in the performance of his/her functions.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3466 - Reciprocity

The Board may establish reciprocity relations with the corresponding body of any state of the United States that has minimum requirements similar or equivalent to those of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, in order to issue a license, without an examination, to those EMT-B and EMT-P who have obtained a license through an examination [passed] before said body. The aspirant shall pay the fees established in § 3459 of this title, and shall also meet the requirements established in § 3457 of this title.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 16.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3467 - License renewal

Issued licenses shall expire within three (3) years. They may be renewed, through the Health Professionals Registry of the Department of Health, for an equal term, through a written application, provided the following documents are submitted on or before the expiration date:
(a) Renewal application form.
(b) Health certificate issued by the public health unit.
(c) Criminal Record Certificate issued by the Police of Puerto Rico, within six (6) months prior to filing the application for renewal.
(d) EMT-B’s shall present a Module C, C.P.R. Certificate issued by the American Heart Association (A.H.A.) or C.P.R., for professional rescuers of the American Red Cross or of the Medical Science Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. EMT-P’s shall present a Certificate of Participation in an Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support Course (ACLS.)
(e) Certificate of participation in a basic training or advanced paramedic courses pursuant to the level of certification of the applicant, approved by the Department of Health of Puerto Rico and based on the curricula established by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for these refresher courses; or in lieu thereof give evidence of having accrued a minimum of thirty (30) contact-hours for emergency medical technician-basic and forty-five (45) hours for emergency medical technician-paramedic, a contact hour is equivalent to a minimum of fifty (50) minutes and a maximum of sixty (60) minutes, of continuing medical education related to the field of emergency medicine. These continuing medical education programs shall be offered by an educational organization or institution that has been certified by the Secretary of Health to provide continuing education.
The Puerto Rico Examining Board of Emergency Medical Technicians shall adopt regulations to establish the procedures to be followed when an EMT-B or EMT-P fails to submit his/her license renewal application in time or fails to submit the required documents, as provided by this chapter.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 17.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3468 - Provisional licenses

It is hereby established that all EMT-Ps and EMT-Bs who have pursued studies in an accredited educational institution, based on the curricula of the U.S. Department of Transportation, shall be entitled to apply for a provisional license with a maximum effectiveness of one (1) year, provided he/she has applied to take the revalidation examination, and has met all the requirements to request the same.
Provided, further, That the Board may renew the provisional license for an additional period of one year. In order to be entitled to this additional period, all EMT-Ps and EMT-Bs must have taken the revalidation examination at least once, during the effectiveness of their provisional license.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 18; Apr. 22, 2004, No. 93, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3469 - Exemptions

The Board may exempt those professionals from complying with all or part of the continuing education requirements when any of the following circumstances exist:
(1) Military service. — The professional shall submit a copy of the Order of Recruitment.
(2) Formal education. — Is pursuing full or part-time formal education studies in the field of medical emergencies. Part-time studies shall be understood as being enrolled in a minimum of eight (8) credit hours. The professional shall submit a certificate signed by the registrar of the institution in which he/she studied. Said institution must be accredited by the official bodies.
(3) Health reasons. — That temporarily prevent him/her from the practice of his/her profession. The professional shall submit a medical certificate that specifies the period of disability.
The professional shall comply with the part that is not covered by the exemption. The professional shall request the exemption in writing prior to the expiration date of the renewal, and submit evidence to such respect.
Once the petition for exemption has been evaluated, the Board shall notify the professional of the action taken and shall indicate the continuing education requirements that he/she must meet.
The Board may revoke, suspend or modify any determination regarding exemption when the circumstances merit it.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 19.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 108 - Board of Examiners of the Emergency Medical Technicians (§§ 3451 — 3470) › § 3470 - Penalties

Every person who practices as a paramedic or basic emergency medical technician without holding the corresponding license issued by the Board, or that when his/her license has been revoked or suspended, continues to practice his/her profession, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by not more than six (6) months of imprisonment, or a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or both penalties, at the discretion of the court.
History —Dec. 25, 2002, No. 310, § 20; Aug. 11, 2005, No. 44, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3501 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the scope and meaning stated below:
(a) Government. — Any agency, commission or instrumentality of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States, or any public corporation or municipality of Puerto Rico or the United States.
(b) Board. — Examining Board of Professional Planners of Puerto Rico.
(c) License. — Document issued by the Examining Board of Professional Planners, which authorizes the practice as a professional planner in Puerto Rico.
(d) Reciprocity license. — License issued to a person with a professional planner’s license in another jurisdiction that has established reciprocity with the Board of Professional Planners of Puerto Rico.
(e) Professional planner. — Person who holds a valid license, issued by the Examining Board of Professional Planners of Puerto Rico, to practice as a professional planner.
(f) Planning process. — Application of the rational models or methods which are appropriate to a specific situation, which are important in making decisions in benefit of the public and collective interest, from an interdisciplinary point of view. The method or model to be used shall depend on the number and order of its steps, such as the definition of the problem and opportunities, the setting of goals, the definition of alternate strategies, the selection of strategies, its implementation and evaluation, its orientation to the future, the changes in values and the limitations of resources, the quality of the investigation, the analysis and eventual stating of public policies, programs and/or action plans. A multidisciplinary viewpoint requires the analysis of physical-environmental, social, economic-financial and governmental consequences inherent to the proposed decision, the adjusting of proposed decision to the broadest context in which it occurs, simultaneously considering multiple policies, actions or systems when their relationship is so marked, that it is impossible to consider each one separately.
(g) Planner in training. — A person who holds a planner-in-training certificate issued by the Board and who, as part of his/her academic and professional formation, carries out planning functions under the supervision of a licensed professional planner.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 2; Aug. 9, 2008, No. 219, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3502 - Creation; composition

The Examining Board of Professional Planners of Puerto Rico is hereby created, attached to the Examining Boards Division of the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with the purpose of ensuring that the persons who are granted a license to practice the profession as planners in Puerto Rico have the knowledge and skills that make the exercise thereof feasible with a high sense of professionalism and proficiency. The Board shall be constituted by five (5) members, who shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advise and consent of the Senate of Puerto Rico. One of the members shall represent the public interest and another member shall represent the Planning Board of Puerto Rico. The members originally appointed shall be granted a professional planners’ license by the Secretary of State. The members that are subsequently designated shall hold a license issued by the Board.
The members of the Board shall be over the age of twenty-one (21), shall have resided in Puerto Rico for a period of not less than five (5) years, must enjoy a good reputation, shall be professional planners and have practiced planning in Puerto Rico for a period of not less than five (5) years. No member of the Board shall have a pecuniary interest in a school or college offering professional courses or studies in planning. The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of four (4) years, or until their successors are appointed and take office, except the originally appointed members of the Board, who shall hold office as indicated below: one member for a term of one (1) year, two members for a term of two (2) years, one member for a term of three (3) years and one member for a term of four (4) years.
No member of the Board shall be appointed for more than two (2) consecutive terms. However, he/she may be eligible for a new term after five (5) years have passed from his/her last term of office.
Vacancies on the Board shall be filled in the same way as the original appointments were made. The term of the member who fills a vacancy shall be extended for the remaining term of his/her predecessor.
The Governor may dismiss a member of the Board for lack of professional ethics, violating of any of the provisions of this chapter, committing a felony, for inefficiency, negligence or incompetence in the performance of his/her duties, or for any other just cause, upon filing of charges, due notice and holding of a hearings to such effects.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3503 - Meetings; quorum

The Board shall hold its first meeting within thirty (30) days after the date that its members are appointed and take office. At said meeting, the members shall elect a Chairperson among themselves, who shall hold office for the term and under the conditions established in the Board’s regulations.
The Board may hold as many meetings as they deem necessary, upon due notice of the Chairperson to the members of the Board. Three (3) members of the Board shall constitute quorum to hold any session and to discuss any matters within their competence. The Chairperson of the Board shall call the regular meetings, and shall be bound to call special meetings by request of three (3) members. The agreements of the Board of Examiners shall be approved by the majority vote of the members present, which shall never be less than three (3) members.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3505 - Hearings

The Board shall initiate a motu proprio investigation, or by means of a sworn complaint duly filed by a natural or juridical person, state or municipal government, or any of its dependencies or officials, if there is sufficient evidence to support a suit for violating the provisions of this chapter.
The Board shall notify the professional planner in question, in writing, by certified mail with acknowledgment of receipt, within a term of twenty (20) working days, of the nature of the charges filed against him/her, as well as the date, time and place that an administrative hearing will be held before the Board to adjudge such allegations. The professional planner thus charged shall have the right to file an explanatory motion including his/her version of the facts, within a term of twenty (20) calendar days, counting from the date the notice was sent. If there is sufficient evidence or if the affected planner does not attend the hearing without just cause, it shall proceed to suspend the professional planner’s license, through a resolution issued by the Board.
The appellant party shall have the right to file a motion for reconsideration within a term of twenty (20) calendar days from the date of notice of the resolution issued by the Board. The Board shall consider the motion and make its decision within thirty (30) calendar days from the date such motion was filed.
If the reconsideration is adverse to the affected person, he/she may file for judicial review at the Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico, San Juan Part, within a term of thirty (30) calendar days after having been notified.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3506 - Per diems

The members of the Board shall not receive any compensation for the performance of their duties, but they shall be entitled to receive fifty dollars ($50) for each day or part thereof in which they render services, and compensation for travel expenses, as established in the regulations of the Department of the Treasury. As of January 1, 1997, the members of the Board shall receive per diems equal to the minimum per diem established in § 29 of Title 2, for the members of the Legislature for their attendance to sessions or committee meetings, for each session, special meeting of the committee or other body, or for performing a task authorized by the Chairperson of the Board to which they attend, excepting those who are heads of agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its instrumentalities, and the Chairperson of the Board, who shall receive per diems equal to one hundred and thirty-three percent (133%) of the per diems received by the other members of the Board.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3507 - License—Application

Any person who is interested in practicing the planner’s profession in Puerto Rico shall fill out an application for such purposes provided by the Board. The applicant shall pay the sum of one hundred dollars ($100) in official seals issued by an Internal Revenue collection office for each examination requested, [on] behalf of the State Department Examining Board’s special account. The Board shall not return any amount to an applicant who fails the examination. Applications that are abandoned or incomplete after being registered at the Board, may be subject to whatever special regulations the Board deems convenient.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3508 - License—Granting

(a) Within the first year of its constitution, the Board shall grant a license which shall be effective for four (4) years to each person who:
(1) Holds a master’s degree or Ph.D. in planning from an accredited university; holds a professional planner’s certificate issued by the Puerto Rican Planning Society; holds a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and can provide evidence to the Examining Board that he/she has equivalent experience in planning which meets the following requirements: exerts influence on the decision-making processes in public matters for the benefit of the public and collective interest; uses an appropriate extended point of view; applies a planning process appropriate to the situation, as well as constituting a professional level of authority, responsibility and ingenuity.
(2) Is a resident of Puerto Rico.
(3) Has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
(b) Twelve (12) months after its constitution, the Board shall grant licenses which shall be effective for four (4) years, to each person who:
(1) Holds a master’s or Ph.D. degree in planning from an accredited university.
(2) Is a resident of Puerto Rico.
(3) Has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
(4) Has approved the certification examination administered by the Board.
In the case of a candidate who is a graduate of a university outside of Puerto Rico, who holds a Masters or Ph.D. in planning, the Board shall evaluate the candidate’s academic background and the comparative accreditation of said university to establish its equivalence.
(c) Twelve (12) months after the constitution of the Board, no person shall practice as a professional planner in Puerto Rico without holding a license authorizing him/her to practice said profession in Puerto Rico. This prohibition shall not apply to planning projects that were in actual and effective development at the time of the constitution of the Board.
The professionals who are practicing the profession of planners at the time of the approval of this act shall have the right to obtain a license without taking the licensure examination, if they meet the requirements of education and years of experience in the profession that are established through regulations by the Board.
(d) The Board shall issue a Planner-in-Training Certificate to any person who so requests and complies with the requirements established by the Board through regulations. Such certificates shall be effective for three (3) years and may be renewed, provided that the planner in training continues to comply with the rules provided therefor by regulations. At least once within such term, the planner in training shall take the licensure examination; no person may be grandfathered into practicing as a professional planner on account of his/her number of years in service.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 9; Sept. 19, 1997, No. 124, § 1; Aug. 9, 2008, No. 219, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3509 - License—Renewal

The license renewal criteria shall be subject to the analysis and determination of the Board, with the advice of the groups representing the planners. Any person who wishes to renew his/her license shall meet the following requirements:
(a) Submit the renewal application before the Board.
(b) Meet the continuing education requirement that the Examining Board of Professional Planners of Puerto Rico prescribes by regulations.
(c) Renew the license every four (4) years.
(d) The license renewal service charge shall be seventy-five dollars ($75).
(e) The proceeds shall be deposited in the Examining Board’s Special Fund.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 10; Apr. 6, 2015, No. 48, § 1, eff. 180 days after Apr. 6, 2015.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3510 - License—Denial, suspension, revocation

The Board may deny a license, upon prior notice and hearing to such effects, to any person who:
(a) Tries to obtain a license by fraud and deception.
(b) Does not meet the requirements established by this chapter to obtain the license.
(c) Has illegally practiced the profession of professional planner in Puerto Rico.
(d) Has plagiarized any document on which he/she has affixed his/her seal.
(e) Has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
(f) Has been declared mentally disabled by a competent court, or his/her disability has been established before the Board by medical expertise.
(g) Has a violated the Canons of Ethics.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3511 - License—Reciprocity, duplicate, loss

Any person who loses his/her license and wishes the Board to renew it shall pay fifty dollars ($50). If the person is interested in being granted a reciprocity or duplicate license he/she shall pay the sum of seventy-five dollars ($75). The Board shall establish the regulations needed to such effects.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3512 - Duties, responsibilities and practice

The professional planner’s practice transcends the unidimensional scope of the specialist, since it integrates the planner’s knowledge to a multidisciplinary perspective that allows him/her to understand, undertake and solve the complex problems of contemporary society. This professional must be apprised of the theoretical and technical advances of the discipline that complement his/her academic background.
It is the duty and responsibility of every professional planner to ensure that in the drafting of plans, the development of organizations and communities as well as the development of the infrastructure, the formulation of public policies, the decision-making processes, the development of social programs and the use of resources, are in intimate congruence with the goals and objectives, principles of equity and democratic participation, social welfare and general interests of society.
The practice of a professional planner shall be demarcated by:
(a) The analysis of important situations that affect the society.
(b) The diagnosis of problems, their causes and magnitude.
(c) The determination of the proper theories, methodologies and techniques to be used.
(d) The development and recommendation of options leading to the solution of problems to be presented to officials for responsible decision-making.
(e) The drafting of strategies for the implementation of policies, programs and plans.
(f) The development of criteria for careful consideration by which the officials can evaluate said options and their possible consequences.
(g) The development of criteria and evaluation and control mechanisms to determine whether the expected results are being obtained.
(h) The rendering of an integrated view of any problem, after considering the socioeconomic, physical and environmental consequences, among others, that will frame the analysis and recommendations in the broadest context in which the problem in question occurs, and considering multiple policies, actions or systems simultaneously.
(i) The participation in courses, seminars, conferences, workshops and other similar activities that complement the requisite of continuing education requirements every professional planner must meet.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 13.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3512a - Category and specification of licensed professional planner

The category and specification of the discipline of Licensed Professional Planner (LPP) shall be incorporated officially into the Human Resources Administration System of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It shall be done in the following manner:
(a) It shall be understood that the Central Labor Advisory and Human Resources Administration Office shall notify all other public entities, including the municipal governments, public corporations and local agencies, as well as the Legislature of Puerto Rico of the creation of the category and specification of licensed professional planner for the corresponding modification of the Central Labor Advisory and Human Resources Administration Office Classification and Compensation Plans to be made, as well as in the Personnel Administration System.
(b) The public entities shall modify their classification and compensation plans to grant the due and rightful professional recognition in category, classification and compensation to licensed professional planners, according to the public policy of the entity, whether of service, products or others, to locate the suitable person in the appropriate position and assign the specialized duties and fair compensation to said suitable person.
(c) Public entities shall modify, update and acknowledge the essential specialized professional duties and the relative value of distinctive positions for the category of licensed professional planners, as set forth in the laws in effect.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, added as § 14 on Sept. 15, 2004, No. 291, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3513 - Seal

Pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, every professional planner shall acquire a public seal, which shall have his/her license number, and shall be stamped on each working document prepared or revised by said planner.
Through his/her signature and subject to the provisions of this chapter, the professional planner is responsible for his/her work and ensures that the planning process that was used in the creation of said document is compatible with the generally accepted principles in the profession.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 14, renumbered as § 15 on Sept. 15, 2004, No. 291, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3514 - Use of certain terms and prefixes

Any person with a valid license issued by the Board of Examiners may use the term “Planner” or the prefix “Plan” before his/her name in official documents related to the planning profession.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 15, renumbered as § 16 on Sept. 15, 2004, No. 291, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109 - Examining Board of Professional Planners (§§ 3501 — 3515) › § 3515 - Penalties

Any person who practices the profession of professional planner in Puerto Rico without holding a license issued by the Board pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, and any person who passes him/herself off as, or advertises as such, or uses words, letters, phrases, abbreviations or insignias indicating or implying that he/she is a professional planner, without being duly certified by said Board, shall incur a misdemeanor and, upon conviction by a competent court, shall be punished with a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for a term of not less than ten (10) days nor more than one (1) month, or both penalties, at the court’s discretion. In the case of subsequent convictions, the court shall punish him/her with a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment for a term of not less than one (1) month nor more than six (6) months, or both penalties, at the discretion of the court.
Any employer who hires a person as a professional planner, knowing that said person does not hold a license issued by the Board to practice as such shall incur a misdemeanor which shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200), and for subsequent convictions, by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500). The above stated penalties shall not apply to planning projects that are in real and effective development upon the effectiveness of this act.
The Secretary of Justice, by own his/her initiative, or by request of the College, may prosecute the corresponding criminal action before the court, for the illegal practice of the planning profession.
History —Aug. 23, 1996, No. 160, § 16, renumbered as § 17 on Sept. 15, 2004, No. 291, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3521 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
(a) Examining Board. — Means the Professional Planners Examining Board of Puerto Rico.
(b) College. — Means the Puerto Rico Professional Planner College.
(c) Commonwealth. — Means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(d) Professional planner. — Means a person holding a valid license issued by the Professional Planners Examining Board to engage in the practice of Professional Planning, pursuant to the provisions of §§ 3501—3515 of this title.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3522 - Authorization for the constitution of the College

Professional planners who hold a license to practice in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, pursuant to the applicable requirements set forth in §§ 3501—3515 of this title, and in the Examining Board’s regulations, are hereby authorized to assemble into a legal entity under the name “Puerto Rico Professional Planner College”, and if they should so decide pursuant to the directives of this chapter, they may provide that said College be legally constituted, to fulfill the objectives, functions and powers established under this chapter.
The official seat of the College shall be located in the Metropolitan Area of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3523 - Purposes

The Professional Planner College shall pursue the following purposes and objectives:
(a) To contribute in the improvement of the quality of life and the welfare of the Puerto Rican community.
(b) To develop and implement community orientation programs.
(c) To safeguard the rights and oversee the fulfillment of responsibilities by its members in all matters relative to the practice of the profession.
(d) To protect the interests of its members and promote their professional development by means of training sessions and continuing education courses that conform to their needs and to the requirements that may be established by the Examining Board, with the advice of the College.
(e) To promote and oversee the fulfillment of the ethical values that govern the profession and contribute in the drafting and implementation of the code of professional ethics.
(f) To acknowledge outstanding or meritorious professional actions or contributions and the ethical collaboration of College members as regards the institution, the profession and the Puerto Rican community.
(g) To promote a relationship of brotherhood among its members.
(h) To strengthen the esprit de corps and the sense of commitment of its members by stimulating the development of a broad and firm professional conscience.
(i) To foster attitudes that lead members to work as a group and get involved.
(j) To favor the development of strategies for the problem solving through a committee with modular functions.
(k) To stimulate excellence in the practice of professional planning, in order to promote the full development of communities and to protect the public from the improper application of this profession.
(l) To contribute to furthering the concept and the process of planning in Puerto Rico.
(m) To collaborate with the Legislature, the municipalities and government entities in matters relative to legislation and regulation of the practice of planning in Puerto Rico.
(n) To discharge advisory functions in Committees, render reports, offer specialized technical consulting services, and engage in other endeavors when these are directed to the community and the Commonwealth and properly represent the public interest.
(o) To collaborate with educational, university and technological institutions of the Island towards the advancement of education and knowledge as pertains to planning by promoting, subsidizing and developing research and studies and by holding related activities.
(p) To promote and establish exchange relations with national and international professional institutions that pursue similar purposes within certain rules of solidarity and courtesy.
(q) To further any other initiative that conforms to the purposes of the institution and the duties and rights conferred by this chapter.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3524 - Powers

The College shall have the following powers:
(a) To subsist and operate under its own name.
(b) To own and use an official seal, which the College may alter, as provided in its bylaws.
(c) To adopt bylaws, as decided in the General Assembly, which shall be binding upon all of its members, and amend them as necessary pursuant to the norms provided for therein. The bylaws thus adopted shall have the endorsement of the Professional Planners Examining Board.
(d) To sue and be sued as a juridical person.
(e) To acquire rights and property, whether real or personal, through purchase, donation, exchange, bequeathal or by any other legal means; to own said property or mortgage, lease and employ the same in any legal manner and pursuant to its bylaws.
(f) To take money on loan and constitute sureties for the payment thereof.
(g) To create insurance and special protection fund systems to cover members on a voluntary basis.
(h) To provide, through its bylaws, the charging of College membership fees.
(i) To exercise incidental powers as necessary or convenient to fulfill its purposes and objectives pursuant to this chapter.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3525 - Representation

The Puerto Rico Professional Planner College shall assume the representation of all professional planners authorized by the Examining Board to practice the planning profession in Puerto Rico, and the College shall have the authority to speak on their behalf and as their representative, pursuant to the terms of this chapter and the bylaws to be approved.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3526 - Code of Ethics

The College shall have the power to establish, after having consulted with the Examining Board and ratification at the General Assembly, a Code of Ethics that shall govern the conduct of all professional planners in Puerto Rico.
This section shall be interpreted in consonance with § 3504(j) of this title, in order for the Code established herein to be the framework of reference for the Committee on Ethics that appoints the Examining Board that shall address these matters.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3527 - Special investigating power

The College shall have the power, as specified in its bylaws, to investigate, motu proprio or by request of a third party by filing a complaint, any actions in the practice of the profession by any of its members which may imply a violation of the code of ethics and the laws governing such a practice. After having given the parties with interest the opportunity to be heard, if the College should find grounds for possibly ruling a conduct to be unethical or illegal, the same shall file the corresponding complaint with the Examining Board. The provisions herein shall not be interpreted as a modification or limitation to the power of the Examining Board to initiate, motu proprio, an investigation or a disciplinary proceeding when deemed pertinent.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3528 - Stamps

All documents issued within the course of the practice of the planning profession and certified before the corresponding government agency shall have affixed a stamp, to be adopted and issued by the Puerto Rico Professional Planner College, for a value of five dollars ($5) or of one dollar ($1) for each [one] thousand [dollars] ($1,000) over the value of the professional work, whichever amount is greater. Said stamp shall be affixed by the professionals responsible for the original document and filed with any government agency; these stamps shall be deemed to have been affixed in any entity other of the Government of Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3529 - Tax exemption

The Professional Planner College, as a nonprofit entity, shall be exempted from the payment of all kinds of taxes, levies, license or excises taxes within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3530 - Requirements for College membership

Any person who wishes to become a member of the College shall hold a license issued by the Examining Board, pursuant to that which is established in §§ 3501—3515 of this title. Said license shall be in effect and the professional planner must have met the renewal requirements that may apply. Any person who wishes to practice professionally as a professional planner must be a member of the Professional Planner College.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 109A - College of Professional Planners (§§ 3521 — 3536) › § 3531 - Mandatory enrollment

(a) After one (1) year has lapsed from the date of constitution of the College as provided in § 3522 of this title, no person who is not a College member may practice professional planning in Puerto Rico. As of the date of constitution of the College, at fifteen (15) -day intervals for a period of three (3) months, public notices shall be posted on at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation in Puerto Rico to notify professional planners that practice in the Island of such a provision.
(b) No agency or dependency of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall contract, agree or arrange to receive, request or accept professional planner services from natural or juridical persons who do not meet the requirements established in this chapter and the regulations approved thereunder. The College is hereby empowered to initiate the corresponding action in order comply with this chapter. In the case of juridical persons, the action may be brought against said persons, as well as against any person associated, contracted or hired by said persons that are practicing professional planning without meeting the requirements prescribed under the law.
History —Apr. 30, 2008, No. 51, § 12.