2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 1 - Governmental Powers Generally; Citizenship; Domicile; Rights of People (§§ 1 — 19) › § 19 - Residents of Vieques or Culebra; preferential treatment

(a) With the exception of the provisions in the second paragraph of subsection (c) of this section, it is hereby established as the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to grant preferential treatment to every person with pending matters, or interviews, or errands and administrative transactions to conduct on their own behalf or on behalf of any relative, who has traveled between, and must return to the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques or Culebra by sea or air on the same day, in all Government of the Commonwealth offices, agencies, instrumentalities, municipalities, public corporations, and courts of justice, as well as private entities that receive public funds.
The preferential turns referred to in this section shall be granted regardless of the service rendering system adopted by the Government of the Commonwealth offices, agencies, instrumentalities, municipalities, public corporations, and courts of justice, as well as private entities that receive public funds, regardless of whether they render services by means of issuing waiting turns, line systems summons or any other mechanism.
(b) The preferential turns referred to in this section shall acknowledge the fact that any person with matters pending, errands and administrative transactions to conduct on their own behalf or on behalf of any relative in the agencies, offices, instrumentalities and public corporations of the Government of Puerto Rico, as well as the municipalities, courts of justice, and private entities that receive public funds shall have priority in receiving the services of these offices. Those persons claiming preferential turns must arrive at said offices no later than one (1) hour before the end of the day for the services rendered. They must also present their tickets, travel vouchers or any other document as proof of the fact that they must return on the same day.
(c) The heads of agencies, administrators, regional and local office directors, as well as mayors, board chairpersons, directors of public corporations and instrumentalities, as well as judicial administrators shall be responsible for establishing an effective system of preferential turns to comply with the purposes pursued by this section. Both the House and the Senate of the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall confer preferential turns as set forth above to the deponents before their committees and those persons who visit their administrative offices and the offices of the legislators.
To safeguard the fundamental priority principle that governs our Mortgage Registration Rights, the provisions of this section shall not apply to the Property Registry, attached to the Department of Justice.
(d) All offices, agencies, instrumentalities and public corporations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as its municipalities, courts of justice and the different offices of the Legislature and private entities that receive public funds shall be responsible for the placement, both in the waiting areas where turns are granted, and in the main entrances of said installations, specifically in an area visible to the public at eye level, a poster, sign, announcement or notice visible and legible from a distance of ten (10) feet, which shall specify the following:
“PREFERENTIAL TURN
“For all persons with matters pending, interviews, errands or administrative transactions to conduct on their own behalf or on behalf of relatives, when traveling between the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques or Culebra by sea or by air and who must return on the same day.”
Should it arise, by petition of the citizen requesting the services, or from personnel who becomes aware that the citizen does not know how or cannot read or write, the employees of the bodies referred to in this section shall have the obligation to inform, said person, as an accommodation of his/her right to the benefits established in this section.
In addition to the aforementioned provisions, said poster, sign, announcement or notice shall be placed in each terminal of the Ports Authority located in the municipalities of Vieques, Culebra and Fajardo, respectively, specifically in the area designated for the sale of tickets. Moreover, said sign shall be placed in the different airports of Puerto Rico from which travel among the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra takes place, specifically in the area designated for the sale of tickets.
In addition to the aforementioned provisions, any sea or air travel ticket for a trip among the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques or Culebra on the same day shall have printed in legible lettering, either by technological means or by the utilization of a rubber stamp, the following information on both sides:
“All offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, municipalities, public corporations, courts of justice and Legislature, as well as private entities that receive public funds shall issue preferential turns to any person with matters pending, interviews, or errands and administrative transactions to be conduct on his/her own behalf or on behalf of a relative, who has traveled from, and must return to the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques or Culebra by sea or air on the same day.”
(e) It shall be the duty of the Office of the Ombudsman and of the Office of the Special Commissioner for Vieques and Culebra to ensure compliance with the provisions set forth in this section.
(f) All agencies, departments, instrumentalities, offices, dependencies, municipalities and public corporations of the Government of Puerto Rico shall establish the regulations needed to implement this section, pursuant to §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”.
History —Aug. 16, 1997, No. 86, §§ 1—4; Aug. 5, 2004, No. 200, §§ 1, 2.