reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24 - Protection of Children and Prevention of Child Abuse (§§ 451 — 471) › § 471 - Penalties

Any member of the Board, official, agent or employee of the Trust who in the performance of his/her powers, duties and responsibilities incurs conduct typified as a crime against public office or against the public treasury, shall be subject to the penalties established in the existing laws, as applicable.
History —July 1, 1997, No. 27, § 22.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24A - Criminal Record Verification Act of Care Service Providers for the Children and the Elderly of Puerto Rico (§§ 481 — 487) › § 481 - Definitions

The following terms shall have the meaning expressed below:
(1) Crimes against minors.— Are the crimes listed in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 3 of Act No. 28 of July 1, 1997, as amended, when these are committed against a person under eighteen (18) years of age.
(2) Violent sex crimes.— Are the crimes listed in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 3 of Act No. 28 of July 1, 1997, as amended, in which force, violence or intimidation is used against a person with the intention of sexually abusing said person.
(3) Provider of care services.— Is any natural or juridical person that provides care services, whether institutionalized or ambulatory or only during the day, or house visits, to children or the elderly in Puerto Rico, including, but without limitation to, care centers, child care centers, housekeepers, homes for the elderly, convalescence homes, intermediate care installations, rehabilitation facilities, centers for psychiatric care or treatment, installations for the care or treatment of people with physical or mental impediments, or care or treatment of people with mental retardation, and private residences in which such services are provided, as well as any other individual or juridical person that provides such services on private residences of the users or beneficiaries thereof; this definition does not include hospitals, clinics, diagnostic and treatment centers, medical offices nor medical-hospital facilities of any type, whether round-the-clock or day care, or ambulatory services are provided, nor does it include correctional facilities, in which medical-hospital or diagnostic and treatment services may be provided incidentally.
(4) Elderly.— Is any person aged sixty (60) years or more.
(5) United States.— Are the states of the United States of America, as well as the District of Columbia, its territories, and possessions.
(6) Child.— Is any person under eighteen (18) years of age.
(7) Provider.— Is the natural person who provides care services to children or to the elderly in Puerto Rico, regardless of whether such services are provided for pay or other remuneration, or voluntarily, on their own account, or by virtue of an employment contract with an entity that provides care services, which employment, contractual or voluntary service involves, includes or implies direct or economic contact, whether routine or incidental, supervised or not, with children or with the elderly.
(8) Registry.— Is the registry of persons convicted of sex crimes and child abuse created by §§ 451 et seq. of this title.
(9) System.— Is the Criminal Justice Information System created by §§ 531 et seq. of Title 4.
(10) Applicant.— Is any natural or juridical person who applies for and is offered a job, or contractual or voluntary service as care services provider or providing entity.
History —Sept. 2, 1999, No. 300, § 3; Jan. 8, 2004, No. 12, § 3; Sept. 14, 2004, No. 273, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24A - Criminal Record Verification Act of Care Service Providers for the Children and the Elderly of Puerto Rico (§§ 481 — 487) › § 483 - Prohibitions—Entities providers of care service

(a) No entity that provides care services may contract, employ, or use in any capacity, through remuneration or for free, any provider of such services unless he or she has previously presented in a certification indicating that he or she is not registered in the Registry of persons convicted of sex crimes and child abuse created by Act No. 28 of July 1, 1997, or in the Criminal Justice Information System created by §§ 531 et seq. of Title 4, as convicted of any violent sex crime or child abuse, or any of the crimes previously listed in § 482 of this title.
(b) Any entity that provides care services shall keep the necessary records to verify that said entity is in compliance with the provisions of this section.
The absence or non-existence of such records or any deficiency therein shall constitute prima facie evidence that said entity has failed to comply with this requirement, and shall constitute, besides the crime typified in § 485 of this title, an administrative fault consisting of the failure to comply with the necessary administrative regulations for the operation of said entity.
(c) The Department of Health and the Department of the Family shall incorporate the verification of compliance with the provisions of this section in their respective regulations related to the certification, authorization, or issue of licenses or operating permits for entities that provide care services.
(d) The determination of the Department of Health or the Department of the Family through an administrative process carried out according to the provisions of §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”, that any entity that provides care services under its supervision and regulations has incurred the administrative fault described in subsection (b) of this section, shall be sufficient cause, on the first occasion, for the suspension of the certification, authorization, license, or operating permit of said entity; on a second or subsequent occasion, said determination shall be cause enough for the revocation of the certification, authorization, license, or operating permit of said entity.
History —Sept. 2, 1999, No. 300, § 5, eff. 180 days after Sept. 2, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24A - Criminal Record Verification Act of Care Service Providers for the Children and the Elderly of Puerto Rico (§§ 481 — 487) › § 484 - Qualified immunity

Any person in charge of carrying out the purposes and duties imposed by this chapter shall be exempted and shall have immunity against civil liability when acting in good faith in the fulfillment of his or her duties.
History —Sept. 2, 1999, No. 300, § 6, eff. 180 days after Sept. 2, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24A - Criminal Record Verification Act of Care Service Providers for the Children and the Elderly of Puerto Rico (§§ 481 — 487) › § 485 - Penalty

Any person who violates the provisions of this chapter shall incur a misdemeanor.
History —Sept. 2, 1999, No. 300, § 7; Sept. 14, 2004, No. 273, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24A - Criminal Record Verification Act of Care Service Providers for the Children and the Elderly of Puerto Rico (§§ 481 — 487) › § 486 - Powers of regulation

All departments, bodies, agencies, and instrumentalities of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are hereby expressly authorized to establish the necessary regulations for the implementation of this chapter.
History —Sept. 2, 1999, No. 300, § 8, eff. 180 days after Sept. 2, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24A - Criminal Record Verification Act of Care Service Providers for the Children and the Elderly of Puerto Rico (§§ 481 — 487) › § 487 - Circulation and publication

The Puerto Rico Police, the Justice Department, the Department of Health, and the Department of the Family shall have the obligation of publishing the contents of the provisions of this chapter in the public media they deem proper.
History —Sept. 2, 1999, No. 300, § 9, eff. 180 days after Sept. 2, 1999.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24B - Code Adam (§§ 491 — 492) › § 491 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
(a) Building.— Means and includes those structures that house offices, dependencies or facilities of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including municipalities, public instrumentalities and corporations, and the courts of justice of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(b) Minor.— Means any individual who has not yet reached eighteen (18) years of age.
History —Aug. 28, 2003, No. 205, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24C - Act to Bar any Person Registered in the Registry Of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse From Children and Youth Parks and Play Areas (§§ 493 — 493d) › § 493 - Definitions

(a) Children and youth.— Means any minor under the age of eighteen (18).
(b) Sex offenders.– Means any person convicted of a sex offense against a minor and who is registered in the Registry of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse created by virtue of § 536a et seq. of Title 4.
(c) Parks and play areas.— Means parks and public and/or private places and devoted to entertaining children and youth, including arcade and video games rooms.
History —Jan. 20, 2012, No. 35, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24C - Act to Bar any Person Registered in the Registry Of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse From Children and Youth Parks and Play Areas (§§ 493 — 493d) › § 493a - Prohibition

Any person registered in the Registry of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse is hereby barred from working, entering, and/or loitering in parks and/or places devoted to entertaining children and youth while registered in the aforementioned registry.
History —Jan. 20, 2012, No. 35, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24C - Act to Bar any Person Registered in the Registry Of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse From Children and Youth Parks and Play Areas (§§ 493 — 493d) › § 493b - Sentence

Every sentence imposed on any person subject to registration in the Registry of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse shall expressly contain the prohibition of entering and/or loitering in parks and/or places devoted to entertaining children and youth while registered in said Registry.
History —Jan. 20, 2012, No. 35, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24C - Act to Bar any Person Registered in the Registry Of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse From Children and Youth Parks and Play Areas (§§ 493 — 493d) › § 493c - Penalties

Any person who fails to comply with the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a fourth-degree felony and shall be punished by imprisonment ranging from six (6) months and one (1) day to three (3) years or by a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) or both penalties at the discretion of the court.
History —Jan. 20, 2012, No. 35, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 24C - Act to Bar any Person Registered in the Registry Of Persons Convicted of Sex Offenses and Child Abuse From Children and Youth Parks and Play Areas (§§ 493 — 493d) › § 493d - Regulations

The Sports and Recreation Department and the Puerto Rico Police shall establish the regulations as are necessary for the implementation of this chapter.
History —Jan. 20, 2012, No. 35, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 502 - Statement of public policy

It is hereby stated to be the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to ensure that the legally responsible parents or persons contribute, in the measure that their resources allow, to the support and welfare of their children or dependents, through the strengthening of the systems and the expediting of the administrative and judicial procedures for the determination, collection and distribution of child support. The provisions of this chapter shall be interpreted liberally in favor of the best interests of the minor or obligee that needs child support.
The obligation to support children is based on the right to life, established as an inherent right of a person. To provide child support is vested [in] the highest public interest. This obligation is consecrated in the Puerto Rico Civil Code. The father and mother have, with respect to their unemancipated children, the duty to support them, be with them, educate them and represent them in all actions that result in their benefit.
Failure to comply with the moral and legal obligations on the part of one or both parents toward their children constitutes one of the most alarming problems in our society.
In view of the serious problem of noncompliance with the obligation of child support, it is necessary to enact a public policy of responsible parenthood. Furthermore, this is possible because in most of the cases the noncomplying parent has the financial means to satisfy his/her obligation.
One of the most frequent complaints in child support cases refers to the delays in the procedures for which needy minors lack support while the State resolves controversies on child support. To shorten this period, it is necessary for the child support procedures to be placed upon one single administrative organism. Thus, the fragmenting of a process that should not be delayed shall be avoided.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, sec. III, art. 3; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 4; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 503 - Reciprocal duties

Parents and children, spouses, ex-spouses and relatives are reciprocally obligated to help each other and to support each other financially, as provided in the Civil Code and in the interpretative jurisprudence. The parents of a minor are responsible for his/her support and the court or the Administrator can order them to pay a just and reasonable amount for support pursuant to § 518 of this title. The duty to support the children continues even when, by court order or administrative order, the minor has been placed in a foster home or when, for purposes of protection, the minor is in custody of another person or a public or private agency or institution. In cases in which the physical and mental health of the minor as well as his/her educational and vocational needs and aptitudes require it, the parents’ obligation may continue even after the minor has attained the age of twenty-one (21).
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. III, § 4; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 2; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 504a - Transfer of powers and functions

Upon the effectiveness of this act, the following programs, functions, powers and duties are transferred to the Administration:
(1) All the functions, powers and duties which under the federal legislation and regulations were carried out by the Child Support Program of the Department, and those functions proper to, the child support area that until the effectiveness of this act were conducted by the Office of Investigation and Processing of Minors’ and Family Affairs of the Department of Justice and the Office of Court Administration.
(2) All the functions, powers and duties of the Local Child Support Program of the Office of Court Administration and those conferred upon the former Reciprocal Child Support Division of Puerto Rico.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. IV, § 5A on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 7; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 505 - Special Fund

A special fund is hereby created under the administration of the Administrator, which shall be known as the “Special Fund for Services and Representation of Child Support Cases”.
The funds received by the Administration for services rendered, gifts, incentives, income, fines, charges, interest, penalties, expenses, costs, fees or appropriations to implement the objectives of this chapter and those proceeding from any other account authorized by this chapter, shall be entered in the books of the Secretary of the Treasury apart from any other funds received by the Department in order to facilitate their identification, administration and use by the Administration.
The Administrator shall use the resources of this Special Fund for the purposes and ends authorized in this chapter, subject to applicable conditions and restrictions, including the payment of necessary expenses in the rendering of child support services to the persons who thus request them.
Said funds shall be accounted for irrespective of any specific fiscal year and shall be governed by the rules and regulations that the Secretary adopts in harmony with the provisions in effect for the administration of similar funds, and applicable federal legislation and regulations.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. IV, § 6; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 9; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 505a - Functions of the Secretary

The Secretary is the official responsible for the faithful compliance of the public policy set forth in this chapter in order to handle in an integral and efficient manner, those matters related to the legal obligation to provide child support. The Secretary shall have the following powers and functions:
(a) Advise the Governor of Puerto Rico and make the corresponding recommendations to the Legislature in the drafting of its public policy on responsible parenthood.
(b) Review, approve and submit to the federal government the state plan on child support services, as well as to carry out the obligations imposed in this chapter.
(c) Supervise, evaluate, audit and watch over the implementation of the public policy set forth in this chapter.
(d) Approve the internal organization of the Administration.
(e) Approve the personnel system and the administrative and operational support systems of the Administration.
(f) Establish the norms, criteria and mechanisms to coordinate the administrative and operational functions of the Administration with other components of the Department.
(g) Provide for the organization of the rendering of the Administration’s services at different levels in coordination with other components of the Department.
(h) Supervise, evaluate and audit the functioning and operations of the Administration.
(i) Require all those reports it deems pertinent to fulfill its responsibilities.
(j) Carry out any other actions that are necessary and convenient for the attainment of the purposes of this chapter.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. IV, § 6A on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 506a - Deputy Administrator

The Administrator shall designate a Deputy Administrator with the consent of the Secretary, who shall assist him/her in the performance of his/her functions. In the case of absence or temporary disability he/she shall substitute him/her as Acting Administrator and shall perform all attributes in order to comply with the functions, obligations and responsibilities of said office as provided for in this chapter. The Deputy Administrator shall hold office during the absence or disability of the Administrator or when said office becomes vacant, until the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints an Administrator and the latter takes office.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. IV, § 7A on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 506c - Deputy prosecutor; powers

The Administrator shall be authorized to designate deputy prosecutors to represent the Administration in administrative and judicial forums in all matters authorized by this chapter in which same is a part or has interest. The appointments of the deputy prosecutors shall be for the term determined by the Administrator, but shall not exceed six (6) years. This term may be extended for following and subsequent terms. In the exercise of their duties, and without it being understood as a limitation, they shall have the following powers:
(a) To take oaths and statements, and to require, under admonishment of contempt, the appearance of witnesses and the presentation of books, letters, documents, papers, files, and all other necessary information for a complete cognizance of the matters under investigation pertaining to his/her jurisdiction and responsibilities.
(b) To perform all types of necessary and pertinent investigations on the persons and entities, and on the documents pertaining to the matters under his/her jurisdiction or responsibilities, for which same shall have access to the files and records of all the Government agencies, public corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(c) To require the collaboration of the Government agencies and instrumentalities and to coordinate with same to be provided any recourse or assistance deemed necessary for the effective accomplishment of his/her responsibilities.
(d) To inspect, obtain, or use the original or copy of any income tax return pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations to carry out the objectives set forth in this chapter.
(e) To advise the Administrator regarding the necessary procedures to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
(f) To advise the Administrator regarding the processing of matters of criminal nature, under the law.
The deputy prosecutor shall be authorized to perform investigations and act in criminal procedures, pursuant to the provisions set forth in § 506 of this title. Likewise, same shall be authorized to resort to the court and request the admonishment for contempt for any person who refuses to reveal the required information, pursuant to the provisions set forth in this section, as well as in the case of any other violation of law related to his/her duties.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. IV, § 7C on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 14; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 6; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 506d - Purchases and supplies

All purchases and contracts for supplies and services executed by the Administration shall be made without their being subject to §§ 933 et seq. of Title 3. The Administrator shall make all purchases and execute all contracts for supplies and services through bids, except those for personal and professional services. When the estimated cost of the acquisition or the rendering of the service does not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), said contract may be executed without a formal auction through a competitive bidding of at least three (3) bids. An auction shall not be necessary when:
(a) An emergency requires the immediate delivery of material, supplies or equipment, or the performance of services; or
(b) replacement parts, accessories, equipment or supplementary services are needed for equipment or services previously furnished or contracted; or
(c) professional, specialized or expert work or services are required, and the Administrator, for a just cause, deems that in the interest of a sound administration the contracts shall be executed without a bid, or
(d) the prices are not subject to competition, because there is only one source of supplies or because they are regulated by law. In such cases, the purchase of said material, supplies or equipment, or the obtaining of said services, may be made in the open market, after quotations from at least three suppliers, in the usual and regular manner in business.
The Administrator shall reserve the right to acquire the formal award in a public auction on the basis of other objective and reasonable considerations other than prices.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. IV, § 7D on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 15; Aug. 12, 1995, No. 202, § 3; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 507 - Request for services

In order to render the services authorized under this chapter, the following shall be deemed as a request for services:
(1) A Title IV-D request for services, as promulgated by the Administrator. Beneficiaries of the Temporary Assistance Program of the Department of the Family that no longer receive such services shall not have to submit a request to continue receiving such Title IV-D services. When legal counseling services are needed, the Administrator shall designate legal counsel in behalf of the child.
(2) On initiating the petition for remedies or on handling the petition before the administrative or judicial forum, it shall be understood that the forum in which it is first filed shall have exclusive jurisdiction to issue a child support order. However, even when the support order is issued in another judicial forum, or in another state, the Administrator shall have jurisdiction to dispose administratively over:
(a) Initiating income withholding.
(b) Changing the recipient of the payment.
(c) Ordering health insurance coverage.
(d) Ordering payments on debts other than the current child support.
(e) Modifying or reviewing the current child support pursuant to the Mandatory Guidelines to Fix and Modify Child Support.
(f) Enforcing compliance with the support order, except for the imposition of admonishments of contempt.
(g) Any other procedure after the establishment of the support order.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. IV, § 8; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 16; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 8; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 510a - Expedited administrative procedure—Judicial review

Pursuant to the provisions set forth in §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Uniform Administrative Procedures Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”, the adversely affected party may, within thirty (30) days from the date of filing of the copy of the notice of the final order or ruling of the administrative judge, submit a petition for a revision by the Court of Appeals. To request a judicial revision, it shall be a jurisdictional requirement to have opportunely requested a reconsideration of the order for which the appeal is filed. In child support cases in which paternity has been determined, the affected party may resort to the Court of First Instance, which in turn may consider the case as a revision or hold another trial.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. V, § 11A on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 21; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 14.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 511 - Expedited legal procedure—Petition

Judicial procedures under this chapter commence with the filing of a document which contains all the information available and true, sworn under oath or stated under admonishment of perjury, with respect to the petitioner, the obligor (or possible obligors) and the obligee, to wit:
(a) Name and residential and mailing address, including the telephone number or the number of the nearest telephone.
(b) Federal Social Security number.
(c) Whether he/she pays or receives support and the amount thereof.
(d) If there is an order for support and a copy thereof or a description of the case.
(e) If he/she pays or receives the benefits of a medical plan.
(f) With regard to the obligor and the petitioner, if employed, the name, address and telephone number of the employer (including the address of the main office or payroll section of his/her job) and the weekly or biweekly salary received; or if he/she has his/her own business, all the information to that respect.
(g) With regard to minors, the sex, date of birth, place of birth, age, occupation and, if disabled, the type and degree of disability.
The answer to the petition shall contain the same information stated above and in the same manner.
If the information is provided by counsel in representation of any of the parties, the same shall be understood to be a certification that the information is the truth to the best of his/her knowledge and belief and under his/her responsibility as an official of the court.
Once the resolution has been filed, it shall be the duty of the clerk of the court to immediately issue the corresponding summons or citation to the petitioner.
The obligee need not file a formal complaint against the obligor as a prior condition to filing the writ. The action shall not be dismissed for lack of mere formalities in the writ thus filed. For the effects of determining the time it will take to process a case under this chapter, however, it shall be understood that the action begins on the date the notice of the action was served, as provided in § 514(4) of this title. In any action in which a request for child support is made, collaterally or principally, the parties shall notify the Administrator for the purpose that he/she can participate as an indispensable party in those cases where there has been a cession of the right to support.
Nothing of what is established in this section shall affect the provisions of Act No. 71 of June 20, 1956, as amended.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. V, § 12; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 22; Aug. 12, 1995, No. 202, § 5; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 513 - Expedited legal procedure—Agreements or stipulations

When the parties reach an agreement on support, it shall be submitted to the Examiner for his/her approval according to the Mandatory Guides to Fix and Modify Support Payments in Puerto Rico, adopted as provided in this chapter. Nevertheless, the Examiner at his/her discretion, may direct that an informal hearing be conducted to verify that the needs of the obligee shall be properly met and that the obligor is able to comply with the stipulations.
When an agreement is reached prior to initiating the procedure before the Examiner, or in those cases which are under consideration by a Judge of the Court of First Instance, the support agreement that is reached shall be submitted directly to the judge for his/her approval.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, sec. V, § 14; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 25; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 17.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 515 - Expedited legal procedure—Compulsory discovery of information

In all judicial procedures related to support payments, the discovery of the financial status of the obligor and the obligee shall be compulsory.
At the request of any of the parties, the presentation of a certified copy of the income tax return as well as the certification of wages or salary by the employer shall be compulsory.
The Office of the Court Administration shall prepare a form to serve as a guide regarding the minimum information required as to the financial status of the parties, the needs of the obligee and the obligor’s ability to pay. The completed and sworn form or any similar document, also sworn, containing all the required information shall be filed with the clerk of the court and notified to the other party prior to the hearing, and shall bind the affiant to the penalties provided for perjury.
The filing of this form shall not constitute an excuse with respect to the parties’ obligation to disclose all circumstances that can help in determining their particular financial status.
The filing of this form or any other similar document shall not constitute an obstacle for the use of the mechanisms for discovery of evidence as established by the Rules of Civil Procedure, App. III of Title 32. Nevertheless, the decision to use the mechanisms for discovery of evidence shall not be a reason to suspend the hearing docketed by the clerk of the court as established in § 514 of this title. In that hearing, the amount of the provisional support to be recommended to the judge shall be determined, and a new hearing shall be set for the next available date. The provisional support payments thus established shall remain in effect until the court issues a new order or resolution.
When regular mechanisms for the discovery of evidence are used no extensions shall be granted to comply with the terms established by the Rules of Civil Procedure except by the strict demonstration of just cause.
The sanctions provided in the Rules of Civil Procedure for refusing discovery or for answering the questions asked as part of the procedure of discovery of evidence evasively shall be applied with all the rigor of the court, including the imposing of attorney’s fees.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, sec. V, art. 16; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 19.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 516 - Expedited legal procedure—Provisional support order

In addition to the provisions of §§ 514, 515, and 517(2) of this title, the examiner shall recommend the fixing of a provisional support pension when, by petition of any of the parties, or for any other reason, the hearing is postponed, information or evidence is lacking, the case is referred to a judge or transferred to another part or section of the court, or when the needs of the person entitled to support are so urgent that it is thus required, except in the cases in which the paternity of the person entitled to support is in controversy. However, even in the cases in which the paternity of the person entitled to support is in controversy, if there is clear, convincing and admissible evidence of the paternity, based on a genetic proof of paternity a provisional support order shall be issued. The provisional pension shall remain in effect until the judge issues a new ruling or a resolution. The provisional pension shall be retroactive to the time that it was judicially requested.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. V, § 17; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 13; Jan. 3, 2002, No. 1, § 1; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 20.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 519 - Child support order—Manner of payment

The payment of support can be made, among others, from the wages or salary, or from other income, whether periodic or not, received by the obligor from other sources that are not the product of his/her work such as revenues and interest. In the case of child support the court or the Administrator shall determine the amount that best responds to the child’s interests and well-being pursuant to the Mandatory Guidelines to Fix and Modify Support Payments in Puerto Rico, adopted as provided in this chapter.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. VI, § 20; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 27.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 521 - Child support order—Attorney’s fees

(1) In any procedure pursuant to this chapter to fix or modify a support order, the court or the administrative judge shall impose on the obligor the payment of attorney’s fees on behalf of the obligee when the latter prevails.
(2) The court or the administrative judge can impose on the obligor the payment of attorney’s fees on behalf of the obligee when provisional support is established.
(3) In cases where the parties are married to each other and one of the spouses controls all or most of the liquid assets of the community property, the court or the administrative judge shall order the party who controls the community property to immediately pay reasonable attorney fees to the other spouse, as requested.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, sec. VI, § 22; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 29; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 24.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 526 - Measures to assure effective payment of support—Federal tax refund withholdings

The Administrator shall remit to the indebted obligor a notice concerning the intention of referring his/her name to the Federal Internal Revenue Service in order for the latter agency to withhold any federal tax refund to, be used for complying with the child support payments when the payments in arrears of the obligor exceed the limits established by federal legislation. Said notice may be delegated to the federal government.
The Administrator shall establish, through regulations, with the approval of the Secretary, the procedure to require that the federal government withhold tax refunds for the payment of delinquent child support payments, pursuant to applicable federal legislation. The Administrator, with the approval of the Secretary, shall likewise provide through regulations, the amount to be charged as a fee for the service provided for withholding the federal tax refund.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. VII, § 27, Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 34; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 21; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 78, § 30.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 527 - Measures to assure effective payment of support—Bond or security of payment

The creditor-obligee may, in those cases whereby the obligor has incurred delinquency in the payment of child support on one or more occasions, as provided by Rule 69 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, App. III of Title 32, request that the court or the Administrator or the Court or Administrator, motu proprio, order the obligor, through a previous notice granting the latter ten (10) days to object to, the same, to deposit a sufficient sum of money, or post a payment bond or provide some other security as determined by the court or the Administrator, to ensure compliance with the child support obligation.
In those cases in which the posting of a bond or a sum of money or any other security is requested because there are indications that the obligor plans to, leave the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, the court or the Administrator shall promptly order the obligor to comply with the deposit as ordered.
The obligor shall be notified of any petition requesting the execution of the security payment or the bond posted, as determined by the court or the Administrator, and shall be appraised of his/her right to challenge the execution of the security or the collection of the bond posted.
The filing by the indebted obligor of a sworn petition for suspension with the Clerk of the Court or the Administrator within the ten (10) days following the date of notice of the petition for execution shall paralyze the execution of any security or bond. Only the following errors in fact shall be admitted as a defense: Those concerning the existence or amount of the debt, the amount to be executed or the identity of the indebted obligor. Said petition shall be considered by the court or the Administrator and the adjudged resolution shall be served within the ten (10) days from its date of filing. If in order, the execution of the bond or the collection of the monies given as security shall be ordered.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. VII, § 28; Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 35; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 22; Aug. 1, 2003, No. 178, § 31.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 528a-1 - Certification of child support indebtedness

In the case of the of the death of any person, it shall be the duty of any administrator, executor or trustee, or of any of these who acts in Puerto Rico, or of any sub-administrator, agent or person authorized to administer his/her properties or any part thereof in Puerto Rico, to solicit from the Administrator a certification of child support indebtedness.
No court shall approve the division or distribution, sale, delivery, cession or execution of a mortgage on the property of a decedent without deducting and depositing with the court or the Administration, from the product of the public auction, in the name of the deceased obligor, the total amount of the support indebted; and no notary shall authorize, issue or certify any document whatsoever concerning the division, distribution, sale, delivery, cession or mortgage on such property or any hereditary property of the decedent until a certification of indebtedness is obtained from the administrator certifying that said decedent is not indebted on account of child support and no property registrar shall enter in any register whatsoever under his charge, any notarial document, sentence or judicial act granted, pronounced or issued in relation to any division or distribution, sale, delivery or mortgage on such property or any hereditary property of the decedent without a certification of indebtedness from the administrator certifying that said deceased obligor is not indebted on account of child support.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. VII, § 30A on Aug. 25, 2005, No. 72, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 529 - Additional measures—Other remedies

The remedies provided herein are in addition to existing ones that are not incompatible therewith.
The civil or criminal contempt procedures brought before the court, with the resulting imprisonment of the obligor who has failed to meet his/her obligations or comply with the orders issued by the court or the Administrator and thus found guilty of contempt, are incorporated into this chapter as an effective measure to enforce the legal provisions.
Any motion to petition for a contempt order due to noncompliance with child support payments shall be filed, processed, resolved, and notified in writing within a term not to exceed twenty (20) days following the filing thereof.
The notice required to execute these remedies may be given individually or generally appraising the obligee of the existing debt and of the intention of the Administrator to initiate all remedies provided by law.
Provided, That in cases where the court orders imprisonment for contempt due to noncompliance with the support order, house arrest may be ordered insofar as the person under the jurisdiction of the court agrees to meet some of the following conditions:
(1) That he/she shall agree to participate in the work program assigned to him/her by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and accept as compensation an amount equal to that paid to inmates participating in any of the work programs of the Department.
(2) That his/her child support debt does not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000).
(3) That it is the first time that the obligor fails to meet with his/her child support obligations.
(4) That the obligor has not previously attempted to flee the jurisdiction to avoid meeting his/her child support obligations.
(5) That he/she shall meet the conditions imposed by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
(6) That he/she shall continue to carry out his/her duties in his/her regular employment.
(7) That he/she shall meet all the conditions imposed by the court.
If the obligor fails to meet the aforementioned conditions, he/she shall be held in contempt of court and imprisonment shall be ordered for such non- custodial parent.
History —Dec. 30, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, art. VII, § 30, renumbered as § 31 on Aug. 17, 1994, No. 86, § 37; July 11, 1996, No. 71, § 1; Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 25; Dec. 21, 2010, No. 212, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 25 - Special Child Support Act (§§ 501 — 530) › § 529a - Administrative ascertainment to enforce compliance with child support in interstate cases

(1) The Administrator is hereby authorized to approve the rules and regulations needed to establish an expeditious administrative procedure to enforce the child support obligations in interstate cases, when Puerto Rico is the initiating or appealed state and the use of the provisions of this section is more expeditious than the procedure established by the “Uniform Family Support Act”.
(2) In responding to a petition under this section, the Administrator must take the proper steps to enforce the child support obligations within ninety (90) days after receipt of the petition and shall appraise the initiating state accordingly. The Administration, when Puerto Rico is the initiating state, shall file a similar petition for expedited actions to ascertain the enforcement of interstate child support obligations.
(3) When the Administration receives an interstate petition pursuant to this section, it must take the corresponding steps to identify, attach assets or withhold income of the obligor, according to the provisions of § 506(2) of this title.
(4) The interstate petition filed pursuant to this section may be transmitted through electronic or other means and must contain sufficient information to establish a comparison with the databases maintained by the Administration and other Title IV-D agencies. This shall constitute a certification of the petitioning state concerning the indebted amount of child support and of the fact that the latter has complied with the due legal proceedings.
(5) The petitions executed as provided in this section shall not be deemed to enable the transfer of a case to the accumulation of Title IV-D cases of another state. However, the Administration must maintain a record of the number of petitions received, the number of cases which generated collections and the amount of monies collected.
History —Dec. 10, 1986, No. 5, p. 887, added as art. VII, § 32 on Dec. 18, 1997, No. 169, § 26.