2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE ONE - The Commonwealth (§§ 1 — 5289) › Chapter 36 - Puerto Rican Institute for Mutual Assistance with Democratic Cuba Act (§§ 701 — 712) › § 704 - Powers and duties

The Institute shall be a consultative body with the authority to observe, evaluate and make recommendations about compliance of the government dependencies with the public policy established in this chapter. It shall also provide advice regarding the revision and updating of said public policy pursuant to the challenges and opportunities that the opening of Cuba shall represent for Puerto Rico.
The Institute shall thus have the following duties and powers:
(1) Serve as Consultative Body to the Legislature and the Executive in compliance with the public policy established in this chapter.
(2) Review the plans, analyses and studies prepared by government dependencies for upholding the public policy established in this chapter and, through its Board of Directors, present its findings, conclusions and recommendations in seeking to guarantee that the opening of Cuba becomes a means of creating opportunities for the growth of the local economy and that any adverse effect for Puerto Rico is minimized.
(3) Provide advice and make suggestions and recommendations to the government dependencies in relation to its plans, analyses and studies pursuant to the public policy established in this chapter.
(4) Provide advice and make recommendations about the strategic and integrated plan to be adopted to attend to the reopening of Cuba to the world and its impact on Puerto Rico.
(5) Conduct public hearings and executive meetings through its auxiliary committees so as to receive statements and comments from the officers of the government dependencies regarding their plans, analyses and studies ordered by this chapter and in seeking to uphold the public policy established therein. It shall likewise conduct hearings and meetings to receive testimony and the information from private associations, organizations and entities.
(6) Identify the scope, repercussions, challenges and opportunities the reinsertion of Cuba into the community of democratic nations represents for Puerto Rico and design initiatives and strategies for advising the government dependencies.
(7) Recommend legislation to the Legislature to make feasible the recommendations of its reports.
(8) Solicit from government dependencies and private entities, through its Board of Directors and its Information Center for Cuba’s Freedom, information, statistics, data, information and any other reports or documents related to the history of Cuba and the reopening of the Island to the world of democratic nations, among other related matters and its impact on Puerto Rico.
(9) Make recommendations, for the consideration of the government dependencies with jurisdiction in the matter, about investments, businesses and the development of markets for local products in an eventual free Cuba.
(10) Make recommendations about the participation and contributions of the Government of Puerto Rico, as well as of private companies, to advance the plan developed by the President and the Congress of the United States in relation to the reopening of the Island of Cuba.
(11) Adopt bylaws to govern its work, deliberations and the execution of its functions and everything that may be necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
(12) Render an annual report to the Legislature and to the Governor stating in detail the work done, what has been achieved and the pertinent recommendations.
(13) Any other function that may be necessary to fulfill the duties delegated thereto.
History —Aug. 4, 2007, No. 103, § 5.