reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823e - Advocate—Investigative powers

The Advocate may exercise all the powers, prerogatives and functions needed to ensure due compliance with the laws and regulations approved in the local jurisdiction which promote help, assistance and protection to veterans and their families. The Advocate may, for the above purposes, attend to, investigate, process and adjudicate complaints and may also direct that applicable legislation be complied with, in those cases in which any natural or juridical person, or any public entity denies, hinders or in any way violates or injures the enjoyment of the rights, privileges and benefits granted to benefit veterans and their families under such laws.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823f - Advocate—Procedures

In the exercise of the powers and prerogatives conferred in § 823d of this title, the Advocate shall:
(a) Perform investigations and obtain the information he deems pertinent with regard to the complaints he investigates.
(b) Conduct administrative hearings and visual inspections. The hearings before the Advocate shall be public, but they may be held privately when it is justified because of the public interest.
(c) Take oaths and statements personally, or by his authorized representatives in all cases related to the purposes of this chapter and the activities of the Veterans Advocate’s Office.
(d) Inspect records, inventories, documents and physical facilities of the public agencies and private entities, subject to the provisions of this chapter and other statutes under his administration and jurisdiction which are pertinent to an investigation or a complaint being considered.
(e) Order the appearance and testimony of witnesses, require the presentation and reproduction of any papers, books, documents and other evidence pertinent to an investigation or a complaint under his consideration.
When a duly summoned witness does not appear to testify, or does not produce the evidence required, or refuses to answer any question with regard to an investigation conducted pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, the Advocate may request assistance from any part of the Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico to require its assistance, and the statement or the production of evidence requested, as the case may be. The Secretary of Justice shall furnish the needed legal assistance to the Advocate for such purposes.
No natural or juridical person shall refuse to answer a summons issued by the Advocate or his authorized representative, nor may he refuse to produce the required evidence, nor refuse to answer any question with regard to any matter being investigated by the Advocate, nor can he refuse to obey a court order issued to such effects, by alleging that the testimony or evidence in question could incriminate him or would expose him to a criminal suit or dismissal or suspension from his employment, occupation or profession. Likewise, no person shall be judged nor shall be subject to any sanction or forfeiture as a result of any transaction, matter or thing with regard to which he may be bound to give testimony or present evidence, after having claimed his privilege of refusing to incriminate himself, except that the person who gives testimony in this manner shall not be exempt from being sued or sanctioned for perjury, if he is guilty of such offenses.
The procedures for the filing, handling and investigation of complaints shall be governed by the regulations adopted to such effects, in all applicable matters not provided in this chapter.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823g - Advocate—Investigation of complaints

Every complaint filed under the provisions of this chapter shall be processed in the manner provided by regulations, and the Advocate shall advise the complainant of his decision to investigate the facts presented. He shall also advise him, when indicated, of his decision not to investigate the complaint in question, stating his reasons therefor. In those cases that he decides to investigate the complaint, on the same date he processes the corresponding notice to the complainant, he shall thus advise the respondent public agency or the private entity, as the case may be, with a statement of the facts alleged in the complaint, and a quotation from the law that empowers him to perform such investigation.
Notwithstanding the provisions of § 823e of this title, the Advocate shall not investigate those complaints which, in his judgment:
(a) The complaint refers to some matter outside of his jurisdiction.
(b) The complaint is frivolous or has been filed in bad faith.
(c) The complainant voluntarily desists from continuing the course of the complaint filed.
(d) The complainant does not have the capacity to file the complaint.
(e) The complaint is being investigated by another agency and, in the Advocate’s judgment, would duplicate efforts if acted upon.
In those cases in which the complaint filed does not introduce any adjudicable contention or refers to some matter beyond the Office’s jurisdiction, the Advocate shall advise the complainant regarding the solution thereof, or shall refer it to the proper agency.
Provided, That the Advocate may perform whatever investigations he considers pertinent, provided there are sufficient reasons, in his judgment, to cause an investigation as provided in § 823e of this title.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823h - Advocate—Examining officials

In the performance of the adjudicative duties conferred upon the Advocate in § 823f of this title, the Advocate may designate examining officials to preside the administrative hearings that are conducted. After the administrative hearing is concluded, the designated examining official shall render a report to the Advocate containing a statement of facts with his conclusions and recommendations. Within a reasonable period of time, the Advocate shall issue a ruling on the complaint submitted to his consideration.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823i - Advocate—Judicial review

Any party that is affected adversely by the Advocate’s ruling may request a judicial review thereof before the Court of First Instance part that corresponds to the complaint’s residence. Such request must be filed within fifteen (15) days following the date of notice of the Advocate’s ruling.
The action for judicial review shall be executed by filing a petition before the clerk of the court in which the petitioner shall state the grounds for his petition for review and on the date it is filed shall serve the Advocate with a copy of the petition for review. The Advocate shall remit a certified copy of the documents on file to the court within ten (10) days following the date on which he was notified that the writ of review was issued.
The court shall resolve the case within thirty (30) days after it is filed and shall review it on the grounds of the administrative record submitted, solely as to the conclusions of law. The Advocate’s findings of fact shall be conclusive for the court if they are sustained by substantial evidence throughout the record.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823j - Advocate—Regulatory powers

The Advocate may adopt the regulations that are needed for the operation and implementation of the provisions of this chapter, subject to the Governor’s approval.
With regard to the power to regulate which is expressly granted, or required from the several departments or government agencies by Act No. 13 of October 2, 1980, known as the “Puerto Rican Veterans’ Bill of Rights”, to implement the rights granted in benefit of the veterans and their families, it is hereby provided that every regulation promulgated to such effects shall have the approval of the Governor of Puerto Rico.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67 - Veterans Advocate’s Office (§§ 823 — 823k) › § 823k - Advocate—Public agencies, collaboration and obligation

In pursuing the purposes of this chapter, the Advocate shall request the services, facilities and personnel of any public agency and said agency shall render and make them available to him.
Pursuant to the provisions of subsection (f) of § 823c of this title, and every public agency that offers, renders, administers or has jurisdiction over any procedures, programs, funds, activities, benefits or services for veterans shall remit to the Office which is entitled to require no less than five (5) copies of all regulations standards, executive orders, decisions, opinions, service manuals or manuals of procedures which are in effect under applicable local and federal statutes with regard to veterans. Public agencies shall comply with these provisions within thirty (30) days following the date of the Office commences its operations. Subsequently, and in every case that standards, rules and procedures are approved or amended, modified or repealed, or new requirements are established, or the services or benefits offered by public agencies are extended, eliminated or altered, they shall send no less than five (5) copies each of these changes, amendments or modifications, as the case may be, to the Office within fifteen (15) days following the date such action is taken.
History —June 27, 1987, No. 57, p. 188, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67A - Veterans State Cemetery (§§ 851 — 855) › § 851 - Establishment

“The Puerto Rico Veterans State Cemetery” is hereby established.
History —June 22, 2000, No. 106, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67A - Veterans State Cemetery (§§ 851 — 855) › § 852 - Supervision

The establishment, supervision and maintenance of the Puerto Rico Veterans’ State Cemetery, hereinafter the Cemetery, shall be under the supervision of the Municipality of Aguadilla, following the directives of the Office of the Veterans Advocate.
History —June 22, 2000, No. 106, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67A - Veterans State Cemetery (§§ 851 — 855) › § 853 - Powers and duties

The Veterans’ Advocate shall have the following obligations and duties:
(a) Select an area in the Municipality of Aguadilla to establish the Puerto Rico Veterans Cemetery.
(b) Acquire an adequate place to establish the Cemetery through purchase, donation, contract, eminent domain or transfer.
(c) Request or accept money, materials or any type of assistance that may be provided by the municipal, state or federal governments or by the private or public sector for the operation and maintenance of the Cemetery.
(d) Select and hire the persons needed for the maintenance and operation of the Cemetery.
(e) Establish eligibility criteria for the burial of persons in the Cemetery, and establish rates to bury the veterans’ next of kin, as provided hereinafter.
(f) Promulgate regulations, after holding public hearings to such effect that concern its direction, operation and management.
(g) Prepare an annual report of the operation, and submit it to the Governor and the Legislature, and
(h) Perform all other functions and duties which are necessary and appropriate to execute the purposes of this chapter.
History —June 22, 2000, No. 106, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67A - Veterans State Cemetery (§§ 851 — 855) › § 854 - Selection of site

The site where the Cemetery shall be located shall be selected by the Office of the Veterans’ Advocate and approved by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The site to be selected shall be within the Municipality of Aguadilla. It shall be a place convenient for all the veterans of the sector who meet the guidelines established by the Administrator of Veteran’s Affairs of the United States.
History —June 22, 2000, No. 106, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 67A - Veterans State Cemetery (§§ 851 — 855) › § 855 - Eligibility

The following persons may be buried in the Puerto Rico Veterans State Cemetery:
(a) Any veteran or member of the Armed Forces of the United States who:
(1) Dies honorably while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
(2) Has served as an active member of the United States Army, his/her service has been completed and has been a resident of Puerto Rico at the time of his/her death or has been a resident of Puerto Rico for the last ten (10) years prior to his/her death.
(b) Any member or the immediate family [sic] of the veteran who qualifies, subject to the payment of a fee to be established by the Veterans’ Advocate. The Veterans’ Advocate shall establish through regulations to such effect, the members or relatives that qualify.
(c) The provisions of this chapter are applicable to those persons who served honorably as members of the Puerto Rico National Guard or the United States Reserve who, at the time of their death, qualified for retirement or who qualify, but were not retired because they are less than sixty (60) years of age. The bodies of those who were eligible but are buried elsewhere, may be buried in the Cemetery. To such effect, a person with legal authority shall be requested to carry out the transfer.
No fee shall be charged for those veterans that qualify. There shall be no discrimination for reason of race, color, origin, sex or religious belief.
History —June 22, 2000, No. 106, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 68 - Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program Act (§§ 861 — 864) › § 861 - Definitions

Veteran.— Person declared as such, as provided in Act No. 203-2004.
Small business.— A business in which one or more veterans, or an eligible surviving spouse, own at least fifty-one percent (51%) thereof or fifty-one percent (51%) of the shares thereof;
A business where the daily management and operations are controlled on a full-time basis by one or more veterans, or an eligible surviving spouse, or in the case of veterans with severe or permanent disabilities, the spouse or guardian of said veteran;
A business that complies with the small businesses criteria established by the Government of Puerto Rico and applicable to the code identified in the application form of the “North American Industry Classification System” (NAICS); and
A business whose ownership and control has been verified and entered into the database or registry of the Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program.
Service-disabled veteran.— Refers to a veteran with a service-connected disability.
History —June 13, 2012, No. 113, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 68 - Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program Act (§§ 861 — 864) › § 862 - Administrating entity

The Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company shall be in charge of administering the Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program.
History —June 13, 2012, No. 113, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 68 - Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program Act (§§ 861 — 864) › § 863 - Powers of the administrating entity

(a) Approve the regulations needed to govern the Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program using the minimum guidelines set forth in this chapter.
(b) Establish a Veteran-Owned Business Registry.
(c) Prepare a promotion and marketing plan about the benefits of the new act.
(d) Initiate investigations and recommend actions to be taken with regards to cases in which the registration process is deemed to have been conducted fraudulently.
(e) Establish a statistical database about the progress of both the act and the persons who benefit therefrom.
History —June 13, 2012, No. 113, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART IV - Veterans (§§ 731-734 — 864) › Chapter 68 - Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program Act (§§ 861 — 864) › § 864 - Veteran-Owned Small Business Verification Guidelines Program

The Guidelines Program shall be governed by the following general parameters:
(1) Offers may only be requested by veterans.
(2) Any recognition resulting from this proposal shall be given to the veterans.
(3) Eligibility of the surviving spouse. The surviving spouse of a veteran may retain the classification of veteran-owned small business or service-disabled veteran-owned small business.
(4) Annual verification. An annual verification shall be conducted to corroborate that the businesses continue to be owned and controlled by a veteran. If the ownership or control of the business changes, it shall be the responsibility of the owner thereof to immediately inform the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company.
(5) Verification examination visits. These visits shall be focused on verifying the management and control of the operations to determine that the business is really independent rather than just representing a non-veteran-owned business that employs a veteran by offering him a commission or fee.
(6) Visits to the business. It shall be the responsibility of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company to visit the place where the business is located.
(7) Any business registered in the database of the Program that is found to be illegible shall be immediately removed from the registry.
(8) Full-time control. The Program requires that the eligible party, namely the veteran, has full-time control of the business. This requires the eligible owner to have only one business at a time within the Program and to work full-time in such business.
History —June 13, 2012, No. 113, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1101 - Short title

This chapter shall be known in the Spanish language as the “Ley del Derecho al Trabajo” and in the English language as the “Right to Employment Act”.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 1, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1103 - Development of additional employment opportunities, training or retraining

The function of the Right to Employment Administration shall be to develop the creation insofar as permitted by the funds at its disposal, by other public entities or by private employers, of additional employment opportunities, training or retraining and in specific cases to provide said opportunities directly by itself.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 3, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1104 - Workers eligible for benefits

For the purposes of this chapter a worker entitled to receive the benefits of same shall be any person over sixteen (16) years of age, who is fitted for work or for training or retraining for work and who is still unemployed after having tried to obtain employment in accordance with the regulations adopted to such effect by the Administration.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 4, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1105 - Use of workers’ registers

The Administration, in cooperation with the Employment Service of the Department of Labor and Human Resources, may use the workers’ registers that for each municipality of Puerto Rico said service owns and may use these registers to determine which workers are between the ages of sixteen (16) to twenty-one (21), which are over twenty-one (21) years, those who are heads of families or principal family supporters, as well as any other information pertinent to the programs of the Administration.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 5, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1106 - Programs in relation to age

In the case of workers between sixteen (16) and twenty-one (21) years of age, the Administration shall emphasize the training programs, although it may also provide or facilitate employment or retraining.
In the case of workers over twenty-one (21) years, the right to employment shall primarily mean the right to an employment, but may also be construed in appropriate cases as the right to training for the job or the retraining in new types of work.
Notwithstanding their ages the training or retraining provided to the workers shall be with pay.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 6, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1107 - Juridical personality

The Administration shall have juridical personality separate and apart from the State. The debts and obligations of the Administration shall not be the debts or obligations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, nor of its political subdivisions, the latter not being liable for same.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 7, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1109 - Exemption from taxes

The Administration shall be exempt from all kinds of taxes levied or which hereafter may be levied by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or by any political subdivision thereof, including all its real and personal properties, its capital, income and surplus, except those imposed by §§ 1—42 of Title 11.
The Administration is likewise exempt from the payment of all kinds of fees, taxes or imposts required by law for the prosecution of judicial procedures, the issuance of certificates at the offices and dependencies of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the execution of public documents and their registration in any public registry in Puerto Rico.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 9, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1110 - Annual report

The Administrator shall submit a report to the Governor of Puerto Rico as to the functions and operations of the Administration at the end of each fiscal year and the Governor shall furnish copy of same to the Legislature.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 10, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1111 - Periodic reevaluation of workers

The Administration shall periodically reevaluate the capacity or necessity of the workers who are covered by the benefits of this chapter to be employed, trained or retrained, for the purpose of orienting and referring them to other employments, training or educational programs carried out by government agencies or private persons.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title I, § 11, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1112 - Transfer of programs, activities and functions

The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources is hereby authorized to transfer, at his/her discretion, to the Right to Employment Administration, the programs, activities and functions related to the operating phase for the development of training and employment strategies, pursuant to the purposes of this chapter.
History —July 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, added as § 12 on July 19, 1998, No. 153, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1113 - Vested rights

The employees of the Right to Employment Administration shall retain all the rights or the status which, on the date of approval of this act, they enjoy pursuant to the personnel classification laws, rules and regulations in effect. Likewise, should they be beneficiaries of any pension or retirement system or any savings and loan fund, they shall retain the rights, privileges, obligations and status regarding these, provided to such effect by any law for the personnel of the Department of Labor and Human Resources.
History —July 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, added as § 13 on July 19, 1998, No. 153, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1114 - Preserved contractual rights

The provisions of this chapter shall not be deemed to modify, alter, amend or invalidate any agreement, compact, stipulation or contract granted or executed by virtue of the provisions of §§ 1101 et seq. of this title which creates the Right to Employment Administration.
History —July 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, added as § 14 on July 19, 1998, No. 153, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter I - Creation of the Right to Employment Administration (§§ 1101 — 1115) › § 1115 - Repealed conflicting provisions

With the exception of the modifications that may be necessary to transfer and attach the Right to Employment Administration to the Department of Labor and Human Resources, the provisions of §§ 1101 et seq. of this title, shall remain in effect, except for those that contravene the purposes of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of May 4, 1994, which are hereby repealed.
Provided, furthermore, That the rules, regulations or orders of said Administration, which are in effect on the date of approval of this act, shall remain in effect until altered, modified, amended or repealed by the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources.
History —July 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, added as § 15 on July 19, 1998, No. 153, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1121 - Promotion and development of employment program

For the fulfillment of the functions assigned by this chapter, the Right to Employment Administration may promote and develop employment programs for workers over sixteen (16) years of age in the agriculture, construction, repairing, maintenance and ornamentation of public works or buildings or of public interest, including highways, streets, roads, parks, recreation facilities and other public properties; in the cleaning, improvement and conservation of forests, beaches, places of exceptional beauty and recreation zones; in the conservation of lands, water, fishing, and other wildlife; in activities of environmental sanitation; in artisan projects; in cultural activities; in the rendering of services in offices or of personal attention such as housekeepers, nursing of the sick, the children or the old in hospitals, nurseries, health homes, and private homes when these projects are carried out under the sponsorship of nonprofit organizations or by public entities; in the protection of students against the traffic risks in the immediate school areas; in training or retraining projects in any type of occupation; in education, in the teaching of the illiterate or other persons; in the improvement and expansion of public services; and in projects analogous to those mentioned.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 1, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1122 - Authority to enter into agreements and contracts

For the purpose of developing and providing these employments, the Administration may enter into agreements with different departments, agencies and public corporations of the Commonwealth and with the municipalities or with instrumentalities of the municipalities or intermunicipalities. The Administration shall contribute the necessary funds to pay in whole or in part the salaries of the said workers.
The Administration may also enter into contracts with private employers, whether they be natural or artificial persons of profit or nonprofit character, and with the workers’ organizations. In these cases the Administration may contribute any part of the necessary funds to pay the wages of such workers.
The workers to be selected in accordance with these agreements or contracts shall be chosen from among the workers appearing in the registries of the Employment Service of the Department of Labor and Human Resources through the procedure to be agreed upon for such purposes, or by a drawing, or any other adequate means for the attaining of the objectives of the chapter.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 2, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1123 - Action by Governor on plans submitted

The Administrator shall present to the Governor at the beginning of each fiscal year a plan with the type of projects that he proposes to carry out for said year or any part of said fiscal year. The Governor shall determine whether the plan is in accordance with the standards set forth in this chapter; and if so, shall certify same and authorize its execution.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 3, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1124 - Projects to be carried out

The projects to be carried out under the programs of the Administration shall be those of social utility, in which the cost of labor is a predominant factor, and shall be of such a nature that it may result in providing employment opportunities which otherwise would not be available. No projects shall be carried out which may have the effect of producing an unfair competition among different employers of the private enterprise; which may reduce employments in the government or with private employers or which lower the cost of labor of the employer for whom the work is to be done under contract, except in those cases where part of the wages is contributed toward the creation of employment opportunities which would not arise should the employer be compelled to pay the entire cost of said wage. Neither shall there be carried out projects which have, as a result, the effect of displacing persons already employed, including partial displacement that may result from the reduction of working hours or of types of wages or other benefits of the workers. The projects carried out under the public agencies and corporations of the commonwealth government or of the municipalities shall, in no case, be a substitution of the projects normally carried out by said agencies, public corporations or municipalities, but only in addition to the latter and to the normal increase in same which may permit the economic growth of the country.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 4, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1125 - Opportunity for totality of unemployed; priorities

The purpose of this chapter is that there be employment opportunities for the totality of unemployed workers in Puerto Rico. If the funds appropriated for the operation of the Administration were not sufficient in any given year for the total accomplishment of said purpose, the Administration, through pertinent studies, shall determine the priorities which, under such circumstances, should be recognized and established m the employment opportunities under this chapter, but always giving special attention to those persons who request employment when no other member of their family unit is employed. Such priorities may be related with the economic situation of the worker and his/her position as head of family; with the present and future demand for workers with determined degrees of training in the different regions or types of industries, as well as the number of unemployed youths. It is further provided that the Administration shall respect the principle of merit, adopt specific strategies geared toward identifying those applicants whose family unit does not have any other source of income, such as applicants that are heads of family and have the custody of their underage children, to expedite addressing such cases for furtherance of the prompt integration or reintegration of such persons into the workforce. The Administration shall set forth adequate coordination and articulation with the departments and agencies that provide employment services and assistance to families, such as the Department of the Family and the Department of Labor and Human Resources.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 5; Sept. 3, 2003, No. 241, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1126 - Limitations when contracting

Subject to the provisions of this chapter, when contracting with private employers or with public instrumentalities, the Administration may not otherwise change or vary the conditions established by the agreements entered into, between the latter and the labor organizations; nor may it change the obligations fixed in the training agreements approved by the Training Council of the Department of Labor and Human Resources; nor interfere in any manner with the management and labor relations in those cases in which a labor union has initiated or initiates activities for the organization of a determined group of workers for the purpose of being recognized or certified as the legal representative of said workers. Neither shall the Administration furnish workers, or enter into a contract to furnish them, to any employer, if the normal employees of said employer are on strike or the employer is incurring in an unlawful labor practice.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 6, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1127 - Wages

The wages to be paid by private employers to the workers under the provisions of this chapter shall be those in effect at any given moment, determined by the Minimum Wage Act of Puerto Rico or of the United States, whichever of the two be the most profitable to the worker, or by collective agreements in the region for similar work.
In case the employer be a government agency, public instrumentality or municipality, the wages to be paid shall be those as received by the regular employees of the agency, instrumentality or municipality for similar jobs.
When it is the Administration which is directly offering the employment, the wages shall be fixed taking into consideration the prevailing wages in the region for similar labor and the legislative intention that through these programs there will not be established an unfair competition towards determined private employers, nor will there be restrained the normal work opportunities in the private sector.
The Administration shall determine the total hours that a worker may work in a determined week or in any period of time, considering the nature of the work, the manner in which it is done and the legislative intention that the workers who avail themselves of the benefits of this chapter shall always have sufficient incentive to accept normal employment as soon as these are available.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 7, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1128 - Rights and obligations of public employees inapplicable

The workers who avail themselves of the benefits of this chapter shall not have the character of public employees for the purposes of the laws establishing the rights and obligations of public employees.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 8, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter II - Employments (§§ 1121 — 1129) › § 1129 - Penalty for discrimination

No discrimination may be established by reasons of race, color, sex, birth, origin, or social condition, nor for political or religious beliefs in the employments, training or retraining which the Administration encourages or provides.
Violations of the provisions of this section by any person shall constitute a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by imprisonment in jail for not more than six (6) months or by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000) or by both penalties at the discretion of the court.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title II, § 9, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter III - Training (§§ 1131 — 1133) › § 1131 - Programs; pay during training and retraining

For the fulfillment of the functions assigned by this chapter, the Right to Employment Administration shall develop job training or retraining programs for workers between the ages of sixteen (16) to twenty-one (21) years.
The Administration shall also develop job training programs or retraining programs in new forms of jobs for workers over twenty-one (21) years of age. The workers under training or retraining shall receive pay during such period in the manner as determined by the Administration.
These training and retraining programs may be established and carried out in vocational schools, directly by the Administration or by contract with private entities, or by agreements with public agencies.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title III, § 1, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter III - Training (§§ 1131 — 1133) › § 1132 - Sums, hours and other conditions

In the training or retraining programs the sums to be earned by the workers, and the hours and other training conditions shall be fixed by the Administration, taking into consideration the prevailing wages in the region, the prevailing wages in other existing training or retraining programs, the subminimum wages for apprentices provided for in § 23 of Act June 26, 1956, No. 96, the legislative intention that through such programs there shall not be established unfair competition towards determined employers of the private sector nor employment opportunities be restricted in said sector, and the objective that such sums, hours and other training conditions, or retraining, may be sufficiently attractive to create a strong incentive towards training or retraining in behalf of the workers who qualify for such programs.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title III, § 2, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter III - Training (§§ 1131 — 1133) › § 1133 - Supplementary provisions

The provisions of Subchapter II of this chapter shall be understood to be applicable and supplementary to the provisions in this subchapter, in a manner compatible to same.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title III, § 3, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter V - General Provisions (§§ 1151 — 1152) › § 1151 - Appropriations for operating expenses; depositaries

(a) The appropriations to be made to the Right to Employment Administration shall be considered as contributions without specific fiscal year, and shall be included annually in the General Budget Joint Resolution.
(b) The Administration shall deposit all its funds in recognized depositaries for the funds of the Commonwealth Government. The said funds shall be kept in separate accounts in the name of the Administration.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title V, § 1; July 9, 1973, No. 15, p. 784, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 71 - Right to Employment Act (§§ 1101 — 1152) › Subchapter V - General Provisions (§§ 1151 — 1152) › § 1152 - Assets, liabilities and personnel transferred to Occupational Development Administration

All contracts, obligations, funds, properties, materials, equipment and personnel of the Occupational Development Administration are hereby transferred to the Right to Employment Administration.
The Right to Employment Administration may continue the agricultural incentive programs carried out by the Occupational Development Administration. To such effect, it may receive and analyze the applications submitted by the private employers and by government enterprises.
The employees to be transferred from the Manpower Development Administration to the Right to Employment Administration, who are regular employees within the Competitive Service, shall retain, while holding the same position they held at the time of the transfer, the status they may have within said Service. The persons who, at the time of the transfer, were on probation, shall retain said status until completing the probation period assigned to their positions. The Administration shall certify to the Personnel Director, as to the quality of the services rendered by these employees, as in the cases of employees in the Competitive Service. The transferred employees who satisfactorily complete the practical probation in the Right to Employment Administration shall have the same rights that this section confers to the regular employees.
The persons transferred shall receive a compensation at least equal to that they received at the time of the transfer and shall continue enjoying all rights and benefits and shall have the obligations that their positions entailed at the time of the transfer, their conditions of employment and the conditions pertaining to their office in accordance with the provisions of Act No. 345 of May 12, 1947, as amended and §§ 761—788 of Title 3, and any other act which may grant rights of benefits to the employees of the Government of Puerto Rico.
History —June 21, 1968, No. 115, p. 253, title V, § 2, eff. 30 days after June 21, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-NINE - Labor (§§ 1 — 3004) › PART V - Right to Employment and Rest (§§ 1101 — 1404) › Chapter 72 - Guaranteed Equal Employment Opportunities for the Sexes Act (§§ 1201 — 1203) › § 1201 - Public policy

It is the public policy of the Government of Puerto Rico to provide equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender. The aforementioned agencies and instrumentalities are hereby directed and are under the obligation to develop and institute affirmative action plans, in order to ensure that there shall be no sexual discrimination against any employee or employment applicant, as provided in § 1202(d) of this title. This chapter shall bolster this policy, imposing on the Women’s Affairs Commission, Office of the Governor, hereinafter “the Commission”, the responsibility of enforcing compliance with this chapter.
History —Aug. 3, 1999, No. 212, § 2.