2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 27 - Prizes and Honors (§§ 571 — 583) › § 574 - Award for Promoting Equal Employment Opportunities for Women—Creation

(a) The Legislature of Puerto Rico hereby institutes an award to be known as the “Award for Promoting Equal Employment Opportunities for Women” in order to recognize those enterprises or businesses that have made a substantial effort to promote and affirm equal employment opportunities and developmental experiences so that women may hold administrative and decision-making positions, including the elimination of artificial conditions or barriers which hinder or prevent women from progressing in their employment.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the term “businesses” includes:
(1) A corporation.
(2) A partnership.
(3) A professional association.
(4) An individual business.
(5) Any business entity similar to the above.
(6) Educational programs for personnel referral, occupational training, and professional and management training programs.
(7) A joint program constituted by the combination of any of the businesses mentioned above.
(c) The award instituted in subsection (a) of this section shall consist of a medal and a parchment scroll, whose design and text, in all their details, shall be determined by the Committee for the Evaluation and Adjudication of this award, that is established in subsection (e) of this section.
(d) The costs resulting from the design and minting and printing of the medal and the printing of the parchment scroll, as well as for the ceremony to bestow the award instituted hereby, shall be charged to the budget of the Legislative Body whose President is responsible for organizing the ceremony for the presentation of the award in the corresponding year, as provided in subsection (i) of this section.
(e) The Committee for the Evaluation and Adjudication of the award created by this section is hereby established, to be constituted by:
(1) The Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.
(2) The President of the Senate of Puerto Rico.
(3) The Chairpersons of the Committees on Women’s Affairs of both bodies.
(4) The Secretary of the Department of Labor and Human Resources.
(5) The Secretary of the Department of Education.
(6) A person of recognized merits, knowledgeable of labor matters.
(7) A person of recognized merits, knowledgeable in matters concerning the private business sector.
The Committee, for the Evaluation and Adjudication of the award established herein shall design an application forin, and seven (7) months before Labor Day, shall publish a notice in a daily newspaper announcing the opening date to receive applications.
(f) In order to qualify for the award instituted by this section, the owner or authorized representative of a business or enterprise shall submit an application to the Committee for the Evaluation and Adjudication of the award six (6) months prior to the session to be held immediately before Labor Day, providing the information required by the Committee, including sufficient evidence confirming that the business or enterprise has made a substantial effort to promote and maintain equal employment opportunities and developmental experiences for women so that they may hold administrative and decision-making positions within the business or enterprise; including the elimination of conditions which may hinder or prevent the progress of women and, thus, making it worthy of the award instituted in this section. It must also comply with those requirements and specifications deemed proper by the Committee for the Evaluation and Adjudication of the award.
(g) The Committee for the Evaluation and Adjudication of the award shall hold whatever meetings it deems necessary to achieve the purposes and objectives of this section.
(h) The Legislature shall provide the above-mentioned Committee for the Evaluation and Adjudication of the award those facilities and services needed for the latter to hold its meetings within the operating framework established in this section.
(i) Every year, during the session immediately preceding Labor Day, the Legislature shall hold a ceremony in which it shall present the award created by this section to the deserving entity or entities. Each body shall be responsible in alternate years for the organization of said activity as well as for the costs thereof; Provided, That, in 1998 said responsibility shall befall on the House of Representatives.
History —Dec. 18, 1997, No. 152, §§ 1—9.