2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-TWO - Public Works (§§ 1 — 1104) › Chapter 20 - Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Energy and Aqueduct and Sewer Service Subsidy Reform and Debt Payoff Act (§§ 801 — 831) › Subchapter I - Title and Definitions (§§ 801 — 802) › § 802 - Definitions

The following terms, whenever used or referred to in this chapter, shall have the meaning stated below, unless the context clearly states otherwise:
(a) Socio-economic Development Administration of the Department of the Family or ADSEF.— Entity created by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of July 28, 1995, as amended, attached to the Department of the Family, or its legal successor.
(b) Public Housing Administration.— Entity created by §§ 1001 et seq. of Title 17, known as the “Organic Act of the Public Housing Administration of Puerto Rico”, attached to the Department of Housing or its legal successor.
(c) Adrenoleukodystrophy.— Also known as adrenomyeloneuropathy or Schilder-Addison Complex means a genetic disorder that affect the adrenal glands and the white matter of the nervous system.
(d) Agent administrator.— Private or municipal entity to which the Public Housing Administration has delegated the administration, operation, and maintenance of a public housing project.
(e) Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority or PRASA.— Entity created by §§ 141 et seq. of this title, known as the “Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewer Authority Act”, or its legal successor.
(f) Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority or PREPA.— Entity created by §§ 191 et seq. of this title, known as the “Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Act”, or its legal successor.
(g) Customer.— Natural or juridical person that has an account or contract with PREPA for electric power service, or that has an account or contract with PRASA for water and/or sewer service. In the case of residential accounts, it shall also include any member of the family unit who is duly authorized by the account holder to carry out transactions in connection with the account or contract. The term “member of family unit” shall be defined by regulations.
(h) Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code.— Means the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code of 2011, §§ 30011 et seq. of Title 13, or any successor law.
(i) Penal Code of Puerto Rico.— Means the Penal Code of Puerto Rico of 2012, §§ 5001 et seq. of Title 33, or any successor law.
(j) Puerto Rico Energy Commission or PREC.— Entity created by §§ 1051 et seq. of this title, known as the “Puerto Rico Energy Transformation and RELIEF Act”.
(k) Puerto Rico Tourism Company or PRTC.— Entity created by §§ 671 et seq. of Title 23, known as the “Puerto Rico Tourism Company Act”, attached to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce in accordance with Reorganization Plan No. 4 of June 22, 1994, as amended.
(l) Department of Economic Development and Commerce or DEDC.— Entity created by Reorganization Plan No. 4 of June 22, 1994, as amended.
(m) Department of the Treasury.— Executive department created under Section 6 of Article IV of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(n) Department of Housing.— Entity created by §§ 441 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Organic Act of the Department of Housing”.
(o) Anhidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia.— Also known as the Christ-Siemens-Touraine Syndrome, means a physical disorder that affects the body temperature control mechanism.
(p) Epidermolysis Bullosa.— Means a group of inherited skin diseases that cause blisters in response to friction or injuries.
(q) Lodging.— Means any hotel, condohotel, vacation club, parador, farm stay, guest house, tourist villa, and other lodging facilities that are endorsed and operate under the rules of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
(r) Church.— Religious organization that operates in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(s) Office of Management and Budget or OMB.— Entity created by §§ 101 et seq. of Title 23, known as the “Management and Budget Office Organic Act”.
(t) Commonwealth Energy Public Policy Office or CEPPO.— Entity created by §§ 1051 et seq. of this title, known as the “Puerto Rico Energy Transformation and RELIEF Act”.
(u) Social welfare organization.— Means an entity whose purpose is to carry out charity work that is engaged exclusively in providing free direct services to the community; registered in the Department of State of Puerto Rico as a nonprofit corporation or nonprofit limited liability company; holds a certificate of good standing; and is exempt from taxation as a nonprofit organization by the Department of the Treasury in accordance with § 30471 of Title 13 of the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code.
(v) Nutrition Assistance Program or NAP.— Means the nutrition assistance program administered by the Socio-economic Development Administration of the Department of the Family.
(w) Utility reimbursement or negative rent.— The excess of the utility allowance if said amount exceeds the tenant rent, as provided in Part 960.253(c)(3) of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (24 CFR 960.253(c)(3)).
(x) Public housing project.— Means a housing complex administered by the Public Housing Administration.
(y) Subsidy.— Means any subsidy, aid, credit, tax credit, or grant created by law or regulations whose effect or purpose is to reduce the cost of the electric power or water bill of a customer.
(z) Utility allowance.— The federal fund contribution for the payment of utilities of the residents of public housing projects with either income-based rent or ceiling rent, when the cost of utilities is not included in the rent, as provided in Part 965.502 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (24 C.F.R. 965.502). The amount of the utility allowance shall be based on the reasonable consumption of a housing unit where energy efficiency and conservation measures are implemented.
For purposes of the terms defined herein, words in the singular number shall include the plural, and vice versa, and the masculine gender shall include the feminine, and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Any term not otherwise defined in this chapter that is clearly a term of art of water or electric power services shall have the meaning generally accepted in the industry for such term.
History —Apr. 7, 2016, No. 22, § 1.2.