2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 85 - Board of Examiners of Rehabilitation Counselors (§§ 2651 — 2661) › § 2653 - Creation

The Board of Examiners of Rehabilitation Counselors is hereby created, attached to the Division of Boards of Examiners of the Department of Health, which shall be in charge of everything related to the granting, denial, suspension, and revocation of licenses for rehabilitation counselors in Puerto Rico.
The Board shall be composed of five (5) members, all of whom shall be rehabilitation counselors with licenses to practice in Puerto Rico, and with at least five (5) years of experience in this field, and must be practicing the profession at the time they are appointed. As soon as the Board is constituted, its first five (5) members shall receive a license from the Secretary of State authorizing them to practice the profession of rehabilitation counselor.
The members of the Board shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. They shall be of legal age, citizens of the United States and residents of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The initial appointments of the Board members shall be made as follows: one (1) for a term of one (1) year, two (2) for a term of two (2) years and two (2) for a term of three (3) years. Subsequent appointments shall be made for a term of three (3) years. The members of the Board shall hold office until their successors are appointed and qualify.
Vacancies in the Board shall be filled for the unexpired term of the predecessor in office.
No person may be a member of the Board for more than two consecutive terms. Every member of the Board, regardless of being a public employee or official, shall receive a per diem of fifty dollars ($50) for each day or portion of a day in which he/she renders services, and shall be reimbursed for travel expenses according to the regulations established to that effect by the Secretary of the Treasury. As of January 1, 1999, the members of the Board shall receive a per diem equal to the minimum per diem established for members of the Legislature, up to a maximum of three thousand dollars ($3,000) per year, except for the Chairperson of the Board who shall receive a per diem compensation equal to one hundred and thirty-three percent (133%) of the per diem received by the remaining members of the Board.
The Board may meet as often as it may be necessary for the performance of its functions, but never less than twice a year. The Board shall elect a Chairman from among its members. Three (3) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum, and the votes of three (3) members shall decide all business before it.
The Governor may remove any member of the Board, upon notice and hearing, for negligence in the discharge of his functions, nonperformance of his duties, or improper conduct in office, or when his license to practice the profession is revoked or suspended, or for conviction of a felony, or any offense involving moral turpitude.
History —May 27, 1976, No. 58, p. 167, § 3; Mar. 15, 1983, No. 13, p. 18; Aug. 2, 1995, No. 100, § 1; Jan. 4, 2000, No. 7, § 9; Sept. 11, 2006, No. 198, § 2.