2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHTEEN - Education (§§ 1 — 3510-3520) › PART III - Educational Activities Generally (§§ 861-866 — 1597b) › Chapter 76 - Development of Arts and Culture (§§ 1159-1159q — 1166g) › Subchapter VII - Musical Arts Corporation (§§ 1165 — 1165n) › § 1165b - Purposes, powers and functions

The Corporation shall be responsible for promoting the development and enhancement of music and musical arts and stagecraft in Puerto Rico. It shall administer the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s programs in this field without interfering with or affecting the programmatic work of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in any way. To such ends, it shall have the following powers and functions:
(a) To establish the standards and guidelines needed to achieve the optimum development of its programs.
(b) To establish the standards and guidelines to evaluate and process the applications for financial assistance which the Corporation may give from its own fund to other entities in the field of music and musical arts and stagecraft.
(c) To carry out whatever studies and investigations are needed.
(d) To coordinate the activities that lead to the development of music and musical arts and stagecraft which are desirable for the furthering of our music and our musical arts and stagecraft in Puerto Rico or outside of our country, without excluding all those musical expressions from other people which have achieved universal patrimony.
(e) To promote and foster the disciplines of musical arts and stagecraft among our citizens.
(f) To create an awareness of the importance of music, opera, ballet and of musical arts and stagecraft in general.
(g) To help to improve the services for recreation and enjoyment in the area of musical production that should be offered by the Government.
(h) To promote and foster the development of theatrical arts related to music such as the ballet, opera, operetta and zarzuela.
(i) To promote and organize artistic and musical contests, competitions and festivals.
(j) To sue and be sued.
(k) To perform acts, formalize agreements and enter into contracts of any kind to carry out the purposes of this subchapter.
(l) To establish the standards, regulations and procedures needed for its internal operations and functioning and to govern the Corporation’s programs and activities.
(m) To solicit and receive any funds, donations or assistance from the federal government, the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including its agencies, public corporations and political subdivisions or from private sources to carry out the purposes of this subchapter.
(n) To sponsor projects originated under federal statutes and act as the intermediary agency and supervise the use of the funds thus obtained. This authorization does not extend to those federal programs where other agencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have been designated by law as the agencies charged with participating in such programs, unless such functions have been transferred to the Corporation.
(o) To have absolute control of its properties and activities.
(p) To have absolute control of all its expenditures and establish the way they shall be authorized and paid for.
(q) To acquire by any legal manner, possess and administrate personal and real property or any interest therein that are deemed necessary to fulfill its goals and lease, sell or otherwise dispose of them when they no longer serve such purposes.
(r) To provide services and technical assistance and cede the use of its personal or real property in accordance with the standards and regulations approved by its Board of Directors.
(s) To appoint personnel and contract officials, agents, employees and technical and professional services, and fix and pay the corresponding compensation or remuneration.
(t) To coordinate the activities and collaborate with all the government agencies whose purposes and functions are related to the Corporation’s purposes and functions.
(u) To ensure that Puerto Rican performers receive the broadest participation and preferential treatment.
(v) To establish a program of support, assistance and advancement for soloists, instrumentalists, singers, orchestra directors and choir leaders, among others.
(w) The Executive Director, with the prior approval of the Board of Directors, shall contract the services of teachers and supervisors of the Department of Education and shall pay them due compensation for the additional services they render to the Corporation as music teachers, outside of their regular working hours, without being subject to the provisions of § 551 of Title 3 or the provisions of any other applicable law.
(x) Coordinate with the Department of Education, universities, institutes, and private schools for these to offer courses, seminars, workshops, and educational campaigns that foster the teaching and development of the theatrical musical arts such as opera, operetta, zarzuela and ballet, among others.
History —July 31, 1985, No. 4, p. 787, § 3; Aug. 4, 1997, No. 57, § 1; Jan. 24, 2006, No. 36, § 1.