reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1677 - Cosmetic surgeries

(a) Any cosmetic surgery practiced on an animal shall be conducted solely and exclusively by a veterinarian who holds a license and is a Veterinarian College member.
(b) Unauthorized persons who engage in this practice shall be accused of a fourth-degree felony.
(1) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine ranging from one thousand [dollars] ($1,000) to five thousand dollars ($5,000).
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.14.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1678 - Protection orders

(a) In all cases in which a person is accused of domestic violence or child abuse, the court shall, by petition of party, issue a protection order for the petitioner so that he/she be the sole custodian of the animal. The court shall order the accused to keep far away from the animal and prohibit contact of any kind.
(b) A violation of the protection order shall be considered to be a fourth-degree felony.
(1) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine ranging from one thousand [dollars] ($1,000) to three thousand dollars ($3,000).
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1679 - Pre-conviction provisions

(a) When a person has been accused of acts that constitute animal abuse, the court or the law enforcement officers may, as a precautionary and preventive measure in benefit of the animal, remove or order the provisional removal of the animal while the case is heard. Likewise, the court may take or order the precautionary measures it deems convenient and necessary for the protection and welfare of the animal, including the issue of a protection order. The animal shall be handed over to the shelter of the municipality of residence of the custodian or to the private organization that intervened in the animal abuse situation, if the organization so requests.
(b) If after a trial on its merits or a hearing, the existence of abuse against the animal is not proven, the animal shall be returned to its custodian.
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.16.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1680 - Breeders

(a) The sale of animals on streets, roads, and public places of the Island is hereby prohibited.
(b) All breeders shall hold a license issued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Department of Health shall be the agency responsible for issuing said licenses and for establishing the requirements therefor. Any breeder operating without a license from the Department of Health for such purposes, after said license is available at the Department of Health, shall be guilty of a fourth-degree felony.
(1) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine ranging from one thousand [dollars] ($1,000) to five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(c) Selling animals on the streets, roads, or public places of the Island shall constitute a fourth-degree felony.
(1) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine ranging from one thousand [dollars] ($1,000) to five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(d) Instances of recidivism in this crime entail, in addition to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, the imposition of a fixed fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(1) If upon conviction, the accused qualifies and avails him/herself of serving time on probation or of any alternative method other than jail imprisonment, the punishment shall entail a mandatory fine of five thousand dollars ($5,000).
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.17.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1681 - Liens

(a) Any expense incurred to provide minimal care to a seized animal shall constitute a lien on the animal and the costs of such care shall be paid in full by the custodian before the animal is returned to him/her after having been found not guilty or after criminal charges have been dismissed. If the costs are not paid in full within thirty (30) days after the criminal case has been resolved, the legal custody of the seized animal by the custodian shall be immediately transferred to the agency or person who has custody, which shall take steps for its possible adoption. The costs of providing care to the animal shall continue to be the responsibility of the custodian against whom the agency or person with custody may bring a civil action for collection of money owed.
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.18.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1682 - Experiments

The following provisions shall apply to experiments with live animals.
(a) Experiments shall be restricted to cases in which these are considered to be absolutely essential for scientific research purposes at university centers.
(b) Experiments for educational purposes shall not be permitted at the grade school, middle school and high school levels.
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.19.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1683 - Payment of fines

It is hereby established that, if the person convicted should be unable to pay any fine imposed by the court, the person shall have to serve time in jail, to be computed on the basis of fifty dollars ($50) per day.
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.20.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 58 - Animal Protection and Welfare Act (§§ 1660 — 1684) › Subchapter II - Judicial Proceedings (§§ 1664 — 1684) › § 1684 - Compensation fund

The moneys originating from the fines shall be deposited into a special fund that shall be administered by the OECA, to be distributed among municipal shelters to provide direct animal care services.
History —Aug. 4, 2008, No. 154, § 2.21.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1701 - Short title

This chapter may be cited as the “Puerto Rico Rural Development Corporation Act”.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 1, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1702 - Creation; Executive Director; Consulting Board

(a) By virtue of the provisions of this chapter there is hereby created a public corporation and a government instrumentality of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico under the name of the “Puerto Rico Rural Development Corporation” which shall be ascribed to the Department of Agriculture of the Commonwealth.
(b) The powers of the Corporation shall be vested in and shall be exercised by the Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico.
(c) The Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico may adopt the norms, rules, regulations and proceedings he may deem necessary or convenient to exercise the powers and fulfill the purposes of the Corporation.
(d) The Corporation shall have legal personality separate from any officer thereof and from the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its agencies, instrumentalities, public corporations and political subdivisions.
(e) The Corporation shall have an Executive Director appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico who shall hold office until his successor is appointed. The Executive Director shall represent the Corporation in all acts and contracts that it may be necessary to hold or make in the exercise of its functions and shall discharge the duties and shall have the responsibilities, faculties and authority delegated to him by the Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico.
(f) The Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico may delegate to the Executive Director or other employees of the Corporation those powers and duties he may deem proper to delegate, except the power to approve regulations not for the internal operation of the Corporation, which power shall not be delegable.
(g) For the planning and designing of the programs and/or activities to be carried out by the Corporation, the Secretary shall designate a Consulting Board composed of eight (8) people representative of the rural zone of Puerto Rico and on which farmers, workers, civic entities and agricultural technicians, and the Commissioner of the Puerto Rico Cooperative Commission or an authorized representative shall be represented.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 2; Aug. 20, 2009, No. 83, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1703 - Public policy and objectives

The intent of this chapter is to promote the economic and social improvement of the rural areas of Puerto Rico by providing its residents the means to meet the proper needs for an adequate living, so as to keep a satisfied and productive population. To such purposes, the Corporation may establish and encourage other persons by any means to establish operations, programs, systems, mechanisms, and facilities necessary and useful to develop agriculture in general, and especially family and hill farming; to promote the production of food consumed in Puerto Rico; to create sources of employment for residents of the rural areas; and to provide to the families of the rural area, cultural and recreational expansion and enjoyment of modern life similar to that of the city. All the actions or activities of the Corporation to attain the goals and objectives of this chapter are hereby declared to be for public purposes, in all respects. Furthermore, it is hereby declared as public policy that such actions or activities may be developed within the cooperative framework. To such ends, the Corporation and the Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission are hereby authorized to enter into collaboration agreements to ensure the effective attainment of the purposes of this chapter.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 3; Aug. 20, 2009, No. 83, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1704 - Definitions

The following terms shall have the meanings hereinbelow expressed wherever used or mentioned in this chapter, except where the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(a) Corporation. — Shall mean the Puerto Rico Rural Development Corporation created by this chapter.
(b) Secretary. — Shall mean the Secretary of Agriculture.
(c) Agriculture. — Shall mean the cultivation and farming of the land and the engaging in animal husbandry in all its branches, including apiculture and aviculture as well as freshwater and sea fishing.
(d) Family farming. — Shall mean an agricultural activity in which the labor is provided to a considerable extent by the owner and his family.
(e) Agricultural product. — Any product of Puerto Rico obtained from farming and the cattle industries in all their branches, whether or not under the cooperative model, including apiculture, aviculture, and hydroponics and all products derived from any of the said activities, whether fresh or in any form of processing or preservation. This term shall include also the products of freshwater and sea fishing or of hydroponics.
(f) Rural Zone or Rurality. — Shall mean the areas outside the urban zone of the city or larger towns and including the small towns, especially those in hilly regions.
(g) The words used in the singular shall include the plural and vice versa, and the words referring to persons shall include firms, natural or juridical persons, public and private, and any group of persons, enterprises or partnerships.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 4; Aug. 20, 2009, No. 83, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1706 - Recreation projects

The Corporation is hereby empowered to develop by itself and to provide economic and technical aid with the proper supervision and auditing to natural or juridical persons developing recreation projects in the rural area of Puerto Rico. Such projects may include, among others, development of summer homes, touristic complexes, forest areas, sports fields, cultural activity, artisan, and popular arts centers or any other recreational development that helps to promote the social and economic welfare of the countryside. The Corporation may require the Puerto Rico Cooperative Development Commission to oversee and audit those recreational projects to be developed by cooperative enterprises.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 6; Aug. 20, 2009, No. 83, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1707 - Assistance and training

The Corporation shall, in order to achieve the purposes of this chapter:
(a) Give technical and economic assistance as incentives or subsidy for the extension, improvement, purchase, lease or construction of capital improvements and equipment for working capital.
(b) Perform tests of adaptation and development of machinery and equipment necessary or useful to the production, harvest, manufacture or marketing of products.
(c) Train, formally or informally, within or outside Puerto Rico, farmers, employees, workers or professionals in the direct service of, or to serve in or to, projects or agricultural or other activities.
(d) Assist in the payment of farm or other insurance to those persons and enterprises that, because of their economic condition, cannot afford such expenses.
(e) Offer services for the repair of homes, construction of retaining walls in residences that are endangered by landslides, and the building of roads for a public purpose, provided they benefit one or more of the residents. In every case that said services are provided, the limited financial condition of the residents of the area where the construction is to take place shall be verified. When a road is built, access shall be included for all the residences of the area in order to provide them safety; Provided, however, That it is verified that the residents of said area are persons with limited financial resources.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 7; Aug. 15, 1999, No. 245, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1708 - Separate accounts

All the monies of the Corporation shall be kept in separate accounts registered to its name in recognized depositaries for the funds of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Disbursements shall be made in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Corporation.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 8, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1709 - Accounting system

The Corporation shall establish the accounting system required for the adequate control and recording of all its operations. The accounts of the Corporation shall be kept so that they can be separated by activities.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 9, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1710 - Debts and debentures

The debts and debentures of the Corporation shall not be debts and debentures of the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or of its political subdivisions.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 10, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1711 - Personnel

The personnel of the Corporation shall be included in the “Exempt Service”, in accordance with the act which created the Personnel Office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, except as hereinbelow provided for the transfer of personnel. The appointments, suspensions, promotions, transfers, dismissals, reinstatements, severances, leaves, changes of category, remuneration, titles of officers and employees and other aspects of personnel administration shall be made and allowed as provided by the regulation prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture, which shall be based on the basic principles of the merit system.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 11, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1712 - Status of employees transferred to Corporation

The employees transferred to the Corporation shall retain, while holding the same office they held at the time of the transfer, the status that pursuant to the Personnel Act they had when transferred. Employees on probation, under the Personnel Act when transferred, shall retain such status until completion of their working test period assigned to their position.
The persons transferred shall receive a compensation in no case lower than the one they were receiving at the time of the transfer and shall continue to enjoy all the rights and benefits, and shall have the duties pertaining to them and their offices when transferred, in accordance with the provisions of Act No. 345, approved May 12, 1947, and §§ 761—788 of Title 3, and of any other act granting rights or benefits to the employees of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The Corporation may grant payments in excess of the regular compensation received by the operators of service centers, in consideration of the efforts displayed by them, resulting in an effective increase of services.
In exercising this faculty, the Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a schedule or formula to determine the additional compensation to be fixed, taking into consideration factors susceptible of measurement, but after computed, its amount may never be more than the regular compensation.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 12, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1713 - Conflict of interest; penalties

No person having an economic interest, directly or indirectly, in any private enterprise to which the Corporation or a subsidiary thereof may have provided capital, or which is in competition with any of the businesses in which the Corporation or a subsidiary thereof is engaged, or to which any of these provide capital, may be appointed or may hold any executive office in the Corporation.
Violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred [dollars] ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment in jail for a term of not less than one (1) month nor more than six (6) months, or by both penalties, in the discretion of the court. Such a violation shall also be a reason to dismiss the transgressor pursuant to the regulatory provisions adopted for such cases.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 13, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1714 - Programs or projects of other agencies

The Corporation may make the investments, assume the costs, grant the subsidies or supplements, take any action and assume any other responsibility that may be necessary to make possible, facilitate or expedite the execution of, or to carry out, programs or projects of other federal, commonwealth or municipal government agencies within the scope of this chapter.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 14, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1715 - Exemptions

The Corporation shall be exempt from all kinds of taxes, fees, imposts, excises or charges, including license fees, taxes levied or that may be levied by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any political subdivision thereof, including all its operations, its personal and real property, its capital and its receipts and surpluses.
The Corporation is also exempt from the payment of all kinds of fees, taxes or imposts required by law for the prosecution of judicial proceedings, the issuance of certificates in the offices and dependencies of the Government of the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions, and the execution of public instruments and their recording in any public registry in Puerto Rico.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 15, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1716 - Family farm program, transfer to Corporation

The family farm program, created by §§ 581—591 of Title 28, is hereby transferred to the Corporation, to be administered in accordance with this and the above-mentioned sections, and all its assets, both personal and real, as well as the obligations contracted, its files, personnel, and the balances of the funds appropriated, as well as the subsequent appropriations for the administration of these sections are hereby transferred to the Corporation, and said funds shall be deposited in the latter’s treasury.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 16, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1717 - Family farm program, transfer to Corporation—Pending proceedings

The above-provided transfers shall not affect the proceedings, actions and causes of action under the statutes in force, whereby they shall be governed, except that the Corporation shall have jurisdiction in any proceeding subject to said statutes.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 17, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1718 - Isolated Communities Commission, transfer to Corporation

All the functions, duties and powers assigned to the Isolated Communities Commission, created by §§ 651—659 of Title 23, are hereby transferred to the Corporation; and all its assets, both personal and real, as well as the obligations contracted, its files, personnel, and funds and balances of funds heretofore or hereafter appropriated to fulfill the purposes of the said sections are hereby transferred to the Corporation. The Corporation shall continue to develop those activities or programs necessary to improve the standard of living of those isolated communities of Puerto Rico which have not partaken adequately of the economic progress of Puerto Rico.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 19, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1719 - Funds—Appropriation

The sum of eight million dollars ($8,000,000) is hereby appropriated from unencumbered funds in the Commonwealth Treasury of the Corporation to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
The Corporation is hereby authorized to incur additional obligations during the [Fiscal] Year 1973-74 up to a sum equal to that herein appropriated.
The Legislature of Puerto Rico shall, in subsequent years, appropriate the sums necessary to fulfill the purposes of this chapter.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 20, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1720 - Funds—Deposit in treasury of Corporation

The appropriations of funds made to the Corporation shall not have the character of a fiscal year appropriation, and shall be deposited into the treasury of the Corporation, in whole or in part, as it may so request from the corresponding officers.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 21, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1721 - Applicability of other laws

The provisions of this chapter shall prevail over the provisions of any other act of the Legislature of Puerto Rico which may be in conflict therewith. No other law regulating the administration of the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or its departments, bureaus, dependencies, instrumentalities or public corporations, and likewise the political subdivisions thereof, shall be applicable to the Corporation, unless so provided expressly, or except in case of any statute heretofore or hereafter approved by the Legislature of Puerto Rico with the clear intent of having general application to all the public corporations of the Commonwealth.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 22, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1722 - Injunctions

No injunction shall be issued to prevent the application of this chapter or any part thereof.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 24, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 59 - Rural Development Corporation (§§ 1701 — 1723) › § 1723 - Forwarding of copies of programs, regulations and rules; semiannual report

The Corporation shall send to the Legislature and to the Governor of Puerto Rico a copy of each program implemented under the provisions of this chapter, including the regulations and rules governing them, and it shall render semiannually a detailed progress report, including the resources used, as well as the results obtained in each of said programs.
History —May 30, 1973, No. 63, p. 282, § 25, eff. July 1, 1973.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60 - Agricultural Development of Valle del Coloso (§§ 1731 — 1737) › § 1731 - Statement of public policy

The Government of Puerto Rico recognizes agriculture as an activity of vital and commanding importance for the economic welfare of the country, and declares as its public policy, the separation and retention of the lands within the Coloso Valley as an agricultural reserve. The Legislature of Puerto Rico recognizes that the lands that make up the Coloso Valley, which possess physical, topographical, and geological characteristics that are ideal for agriculture and ecotourism, must be destined for the exclusive use of agricultural production and the development of ecotourism. Therefore, it declares this zone as an agricultural reserve of the country, thus ensuring the bolstering of the northwestern zone of the Island.
History —Aug. 4, 2000, No. 142, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60 - Agricultural Development of Valle del Coloso (§§ 1731 — 1737) › § 1732 - Special zoning resolution order

The Planning Board must maintain these lands, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture undertaking all the necessary studies of the properties included within Valle de Coloso through the promulgation and adoption of a special zoning resolution, for the purposes of reserving and assigning the properties of said Valley to agricultural production and development. The special zone shall include lands that presently have access to irrigation, those which in the future may have it, and those identified as having agricultural value. Likewise, the lands abutting to that identified as having agricultural value, and which serve as buffer zones, shall be incorporated in the special zoning. Said special zoning resolution shall be promulgated not later than one (1) year after approval of this act.
This special zoning shall effectively prohibit the establishment, construction, and installation of waste incinerators, of any sort, except those for agricultural use, provided that they are used for such purpose.
History —Aug. 4, 2000, No. 142, § 2; Oct. 26, 2001, No.149, § 1; Jan. 4, 2003, No. 58, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60 - Agricultural Development of Valle del Coloso (§§ 1731 — 1737) › § 1734 - Identification of ownership and demarcation of boundaries

The Planning Board, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, shall identify the ownership of the public and private lands that comprise the so called Coloso Valley to facilitate the territorial organization and the adoption of their Special Zoning Resolution. The government agencies that own properties with agricultural potential, located within the geographical boundaries that demarcate the Coloso Valley, except the Agricultural Sciences College of the University of Puerto Rico, shall gratuitously transfer title to the lands that they own, to the Land Authority.
In the case of public corporations that also own properties with agricultural potential within the so called Coloso Valley, they shall enter into negotiations with the Executive Director of the Land Authority and of the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to agree upon the reasonable terms of acquisition, use, or exchange of lands, without prejudice to the finances or commitments of said public corporations. If it were necessary to appropriate funds in order to honor said agreements, these shall be consigned in the annual budget of regular expenses of the Department of Agriculture, in the fiscal year following the moment of formalizing said agreements.
The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture shall identify the properties or lands whose title belongs to the private sector and which are not destined for agricultural production, to promote in coordination with the owners of these lands, the development of specific agricultural projects for said properties, using the subsidies and incentives that the Department of Agriculture has for these purposes or ends.
History —Aug. 4, 2000, No. 142, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60 - Agricultural Development of Valle del Coloso (§§ 1731 — 1737) › § 1735 - Plan for Comprehensive Development of the Coloso Valley

Through a process of comprehensive planning, the Department of Agriculture, in coordination and collaboration with the Planning Board and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and the Agricultural Sciences College of the University of Puerto Rico, shall prepare and implement a plan for the agricultural development and ecotourism of the Coloso Valley.
This comprehensive development plan shall adopt the following criteria:
(1) Identify the exact territorial demarcation of all the lands within the Coloso Valley.
(2) Establish the specific survey of boundaries of the geographic area that shall be designated for agricultural use.
(3) Establish the directive and programmatic norms needed to achieve the development of the Coloso Valley in accordance with the purposes consigned in this chapter.
(4) Develop agricultural initiatives in accordance with the public policies agreed to with the agriculture and livestock sector.
(5) Provide aids and incentives available to the Agriculture and Livestock Services and Development Administration which could be used for the agricultural development of this area.
(6) Integrate the organizations of the private sector that group supermarkets, food distributors, and others, with the purpose of creating guarantees for marketing the farm products.
(7) [Encourage] area farmers to foster and participate in the organization of the agricultural sectors or enterprises in accordance with the provisions of §§ 3051 et seq. of this title.
(8) To integrate organizations of farmers and private citizens who have a special interest in the agricultural preservation of the Coloso Valley, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture into the process of designing the agricultural development plan.
(9) Coordinate with the Department of the Treasury the awarding of tax benefits to the agricultural projects that are to be developed in the Coloso Valley area, pursuant to the provisions of §§ 10401 et seq. of Title 13, known as the “Puerto Rico Agricultural Tax Incentives Act”.
(10) Attend to and give priority to the approval of the requests for the development of agricultural irrigation and drainage infrastructure, pursuant to the criteria established in the Agricultural Infrastructure Development Program, created by Joint Resolution No. 597 of December 1, 1995, as amended, and whose end is to benefit new agricultural projects.
(11) Develop and encourage initiatives that foster tourism, as well as ecotourism, of the area in keeping with the agriculture and livestock sector.
History —Aug. 4, 2000, No. 142, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60 - Agricultural Development of Valle del Coloso (§§ 1731 — 1737) › § 1736 - Powers of the Secretary

The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture is hereby authorized to execute agreements with other state and federal government entities; as well as with nongovernment organizations for the study, administration, and management of Coloso Valley.
Likewise, the Secretary is hereby authorized to establish the necessary regulations to perform the duties and functions imposed on him or her by this chapter. Said regulations shall comply with the provisions of §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act”.
History —Aug. 4, 2000, No. 142, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60 - Agricultural Development of Valle del Coloso (§§ 1731 — 1737) › § 1737 - Quarterly reports

The Secretary of Agriculture shall issue periodic reports to the Legislature every three (3) months regarding the process for the promulgation and adoption of the Special Zoning Resolution to be established in the Coloso Valley. Said periodic reports shall also include information regarding the measures and actions taken, as well as the plans devised to achieve the design and implementation of the Plan for the Comprehensive Development of said Valley.
History —Aug. 4, 2000, No. 142, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1751 - Statement of public policy

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has recognized the importance of the agricultural endeavor as an activity needed to produce food, generate jobs and preserve the environment. It is therefore imperative to promote the growth, modernization and diversification of the agricultural production in order to meet the needs of consumption, and allow reasonable prices for the consumers, attractive profits for the growers and fair salaries for the workers.
The Legislature of Puerto Rico recognizes that the lands which comprise the Valley of Guanajibo are mainly of agricultural value due to their location, and their physical, topographical and geological characteristics. In order to further the development of the agriculture in the western region of the Island, we deem it to be for the best interest of the People of Puerto Rico to declare the Valley of Guanajibo as an agricultural reserve.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1752 - Special zoning resolution order

The Planning Board, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, and the municipalities which comprise the Reserve, shall conduct all necessary studies of the properties located within the area known as Valley of Guanajibo, for a term not greater than eighteen (18) months, to allow for the regulation of said lands through the promulgation and adoption of a special zoning resolution in order to reserve and devote the farms in said valley for agricultural production and development.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1753 - Prohibitions

The Planning Board, the Permit Management Office and the municipal governments whose territorial boundaries are located within the area consisting of the Guanajibo Valley Agricultural Reserve, each one within its respective jurisdiction, are hereby prohibited from approving location consultations, authorizing developments, and granting construction or use permits in contravention with the public policy set forth in § 1751 of this title. However, those construction or use permits stemming from location or development consultations duly approved before this act came into effect and according to the provisions set forth in § 1756 of this title may be approved provided such permits have not been revoked for any reason.
Furthermore, said agencies and government bodies may not authorize segregations for the creation of properties of less than fifty (50) cuerdas in the area designated in the Special Zoning Resolution as indicated in § 1752 of this title.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 3; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 174, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1754 - Identification of titleholders; demarcation of properties

The Planning Board, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, shall identify the titleholders of the public and private lands located within the area of the Valley of Guanajibo, in order to expedite the territorial organization and the approval of the special zoning resolution thereof.
The government agencies that hold title to lands with agricultural potential located within the geographic boundaries of the Valley of Guanajibo, shall transfer the lands they own under gratuitous title to the Department of Agriculture. Those public corporations that also own properties with agricultural potential within the boundaries of the area known as Valley of Guanajibo shall enter into negotiations with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to agree on the reasonable terms for the acquisition, use or exchange of the land without prejudice to the finances or commitments of said public corporations.
If it were necessary to appropriate funds to honor said agreements, said funds shall be consigned in the annual regular expenses budget of the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year following the moment said agreements are executed.
The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture shall identify any property or land whose title belongs to the private sector and are not destined for agricultural production so as to encourage the development of specific agricultural projects for said properties in coordination with the owners of said land using the subsidies and incentives that the Department of Agriculture has available for these purposes.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1755 - Special tax

The payment of a special tax of fifty dollars ($50) per cuerda is hereby imposed on every plot of land located within the agricultural reserve, as set forth in the special zoning resolution set forth in § 1752 of this title.
Said special tax shall be levied and collected by the Municipal Revenues Collection Center in the same manner in which the real property tax is collected.
Every plot of land located within the Valley of Guanajibo Agricultural Reserve that has been identified as suitable for agricultural use of which at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the total area of the property is devoted to intense agricultural activity, with a subsequent increase of twenty-five percent (25%) every three (3) years, shall be exempted from the payment of the special tax imposed in the previous paragraph after five (5) years as of the date of approval of this act.
In order to be entitled to the exemption established above, the intense agricultural activity thus required must be certified by the Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1756 - Transitory clause for ceasing nonagricultural activities

(a) Temporary clause for the location and continuation of non-agricultural activity use. — The continuity of use or building which is not in compliance with the purposes of this chapter shall be allowed as long as said use or building has been legally established before the approval of this act, and if the permit is in effect. To continue with the use of the building, a legal non-compliance permit must be requested within one (1) year after the approval of this act from the Permit Management Office or the autonomous municipality, each within its respective jurisdiction. However, the uses established without the corresponding permits which, after the approval of this act, are in effect, shall have a term of six (6) months to legalize the use for which the consent of the Department of Agriculture shall be required.
Those uses that are incompatible with the purposes of this chapter, the protection of which is established herein and the continuation of which is not authorized, pursuant to the procedures determined previously, must be eliminated within a term of two (2) years, starting with the certification of denial to continue operating issued by the Department of Agriculture.
(b) Location consultations, approved developments, and construction or use permits. — Those consultations for the location of nonagricultural use in land located within the Agricultural Reserve as delimited by the Planning Board pending resolution before the Planning Board at the approval date of this act which are incompatible with the purposes of the same, shall be denied.
(c) Those location consultations for nonagricultural use that have been approved by the Planning Board and which are in effect at by the date of approval of this act, shall remain in effect for the term established by the applicable regulation. Said term can be extended, provided it is the originally approved project.
Cases pending adjudication before Permit Management Office for nonagricultural use that do not require location consultations approved by the Planning Board that are incompatible with the purposes of this chapter shall be denied. However, those cases for nonagricultural use that have been approved by Permit Management Office and that are in effect by the date this act took effect shall remain in effect for the term established in the applicable regulation.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 6; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 174, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1757 - Development plan

Through an integrated planning process, the Department of Agriculture, in coordination and collaboration with the Planning Board, the Municipality of San Germán, the Municipality of Cabo Rojo, and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources shall draft and implement a plan for the agricultural development of the Valley of Guanajibo. This integrated development plan shall adopt the following criteria:
(1) Exactly identify the territorial boundaries of all the land located within the Valley of Guanajibo.
(2) Establish the specific demarcation of the geographic area that shall be designated for agricultural use.
(3) Restore the irrigation system of the Valley in agreement to the present needs.
(4) Establish the programmatic standards and directives needed to achieve the development of the Valley of Guanajibo pursuant to the purposes provided in this chapter.
(5) Develop agricultural incentives according to the public policies promulgated for the agriculture and livestock sectors.
(6) Provide any assistance and incentives [that] the livestock sector may have available and that may be used for the agricultural development of this zone.
(7) Integrate the private sector organizations that group supermarkets, food distribution centers and others, in order to create marketing guarantees for agricultural produce.
(8) [Encourage] farmers of the area to foster and participate in the organization of the sectors or agricultural enterprises pursuant to the provisions of §§ 3051-3061 of this title.
(9) To seek the participation of farmer organizations, of those private citizens who have a special interest in the agricultural preservation of the Valley of Guanajibo and of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture in the process of designing the agricultural development plan.
(10) Coordinate with the Department of the Treasury, the granting of tax incentives to the agricultural projects to be developed and those already established, that intend to make improvements or expansions in the Valley of Guanajibo area, according to the provisions of §§ 10401 et seq. of Title 13, known as the “Puerto Rico Tax Incentives Act”.
(11) Give priority attention and approval to those petitions for the development of agricultural irrigation and drainage infrastructure.
(12) Encourage the farmers of the area to assume their individual responsibilities for their land in matters such as rights of way, irrigation, drainage and housing for owners and employees.
(13) Integrate the Agricultural Experimental Station in the development and use of state of the art technology that will serve as model for other areas of the Commonwealth.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1758 - Exception

This chapter shall not apply to the lands which shall be used by the Corps of Engineers and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to canalize the Guanajibo River.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 60A - Agricultural Development of Guanajibo Valley (§§ 1751 — 1760) › § 1759 - Powers of the Secretary

The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture is hereby empowered to enter into agreements with other Commonwealth and federal government agencies as well as nongovernmental organizations for the study, administration and management of the Valley of Guanajibo.
The Secretary of Agriculture is likewise empowered to establish the regulations needed to execute the duties and functions imposed by this chapter. Said regulations shall comply with the provisions of §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act”.
History —Aug. 17, 2002, No. 184, § 9.