2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE THREE - Executive (§§ 1 — 9311) › Chapter 15 - Department of Labor and Human Resources (§§ 301 — 328) › § 319 - Employment and Migration Bureau

The Employment and Migration Bureau shall have charge of advancing the opportunities for the profitable employment of the unemployed, pursuant to the provisions of § 18(a) of the Organic Act of Puerto Rico (Act of Congress, of February 18, 1931); the administration of Act No. 89, May 9, 1947, which regulates contracts for workmen or employees to work outside Puerto Rico; the enforcement of §§ 564—574 of Title 29, which regulate private employment agencies; and all such laws, rules and regulations as may hereafter be adopted in connection with the Employment and Migration Bureau created by this section.
The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources shall be empowered, and he is hereby authorized, to adopt and carry out such measures as he may deem advisable for the organization, operation and development of the Employment and Migration Bureau in Puerto Rico as well as in the United States, and to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of this section. Such measures, rules and regulations shall, upon their approval by the Governor, and after they have been duly promulgated, have the force of law.
Among other services and activities which the Secretary may determine pursuant to this section, the Employment and Migration Bureau shall include: the operation of the present Employment Services in Puerto Rico, amplified so as to give services of identification, information, and guidance to Puerto Ricans who migrate from Puerto Rico; the investigation of employment opportunities in the United States, conditions of contract labor and supervision of labor contracts, whether made by private employment agencies, government agencies, or directly by the employers; and an office in the City of New York to give guidance, adjustment and direction to Puerto Ricans in the said city, in accordance with such plans as the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may adopt for the purposes of the section.
The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources is hereby expressly authorized to appoint all the personnel necessary for the more efficient organization and operation of the Employment and Migration Bureau, subject to the provisions of Act No. 345, May 12, 1947, creating the Office of Personnel of Puerto Rico; Provided, That the Director of the Bureau and the officials and employees who are to work in the City of New York, or in any other location in the continental United States, shall be considered included in the service exempt, and their salaries shall be fixed by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources with the approval of the Governor; and Provided, further, That the expenditure of funds for the purchase of equipment and office supplies for the New York Office shall be exempt from the regulations of Act No. 150, May 9, 1945, creating the Service Office of the Government of Puerto Rico.
Any person designated by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources to serve as disbursing officer in New York, or in any other location outside Puerto Rico, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, shall give bond in the amount that the Secretary of the Treasury may determine, in order to guarantee the proper use of the funds in his custody. The premium of such bond shall be paid chargeable to the funds appropriated by this section. In the disbursement of the said funds, the person designated for such purpose shall be subject to the rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, and shall present after such disbursements have been certified, such vouchers, accounts and papers as the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico shall require by regulations.
The sums necessary for the operation of the Employment and Migration Bureau shall be included in the general budget of expenses of the Government of Puerto Rico.
History —Apr. 14, 1931, No. 15, p. 168, § 17; May 13, 1943, No. 144, p. 444, § 1; Dec. 5, 1947, No. 25, p. 386, § 1.