President of the Senate of Puerto Rico

Background

The president traces its history back to more than years ago when the Jones–Shafroth Act formally established the post on March 2, 1917. Said act was eventually superseded by another law, and the post was eventually established by the Constitution of Puerto Rico, specifically Article III, which establishes that, "The Senate shall elect a President [...] from among [its] members." The Constitution, however, does not establish what a "president" is nor what its function should be. Internal rules adopted by the Senate through a simple resolution establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.

Functions

Typically the president is responsible for the observance and compliance of the Senate's internal rules. He also typically:

• presides all Senate meetings
• resolves and decides all parliamentary situations and rules of order brought in sessions,
• names all permanent and special commissions of the Senate,
• signs all bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, reorganization plans, and simple resolutions approved by the Senate and the Legislative Assembly,
• convenes special sessions of the Senate,
• maintains order and decorum in the Senate, a responsibility typically delegated to the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate,
• must vote in all matters presented in the Senate (can not abstain),
• represents the Senate in all forums,
• is responsible for all administrative matters of the Senate, a responsibility typically delegated to the Secretary of the Senate,
• appoints an internal auditor for the Senate,
• prepares a registry of all lobbyists that must be freely available to the public,
• is responsible of providing free access to the public to all works generated by the Senate, and
• offers training and continuing education opportunities to Senate members, advisors, and employees.

Presidents

References

References

1. {{cite constitution. link. (July 25, 1952)
2. R. del S. 21 del 2013, [http://senado.pr.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/rs0021a-13.pdf "Reglamento del Senado de Puerto Rico"] (in Spanish) [[Senate of Puerto Rico]] (January 15, 2013). Retrieved on August 9, 2013.