President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
| President of the Senate of Puerto Rico Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
| Deputy | President pro tempore |
The president of the Senate of Puerto Rico (
Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico. The Constitution, however, does not establish its functions and since the Senate is the only body authorized by the Constitution to regulate its own internal affairs, the functions of the president vary from session to session—save being called "President" as the Constitution establishes.[1] The president is typically elected during the Senate's inaugural session.[2]
When absent, the president is substituted by the president pro tempore.[2] Its counterpart in the House is the speaker.
The current president is
Popular Democratic Party
Background
The president traces its history back to more than 107 years ago when the
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.[1] Internal rules adopted by the Senate through a simple resolution establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.[2]
Functions
Typically the president is responsible for the observance and compliance of the Senate's internal rules. He also typically:[2]
- 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
| # | Portrait | President | Date it took office | Date it left office | Political party | President pro-tempore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Antonio R. Barceló (1868–1938) |
1917 | 1929 | Union | Eduardo Georgetti 1917–1921 Juan Hernández López 1921–1924 Luis Sánchez Morales 1926–1929 |
| 2 | 
|
Luis Sánchez Morales (1867–1934) |
1929 | 1933 | Republican
|
Celestino Iriarte Miró |
| 3 | 
|
Rafael Martínez Nadal (1877–1941) |
1933 | 1941 | Republican
|
Bolívar Pagán 1933–1940 Luis Padrón Rivera 1940–1941 |
| 4 | 
|
Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980) |
1941 | 1949 | PPD
|
Francisco M. Susoni Abreu 1941–1944 Samuel R. Quiñones 1945–1949 |
| 5 | 
|
Samuel R. Quiñones (1904–1976) |
1949 | 1969 | PPD
|
Luis Negrón López |
| 6 | 
|
Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019) |
1969 | 1973 | PPD
|
Juan J. Cancel Ríos
|
| 7 | 
|
Juan J. Cancel Ríos (1925–1992) |
1973 | 1977 | PPD
|
Miguel Hernández Agosto |
| 8 | 
|
Luis A. Ferré Aguayo (1904–2003) |
1977 | 1981 | PNP
|
Manuel Ramos Barroso
|
| 9 | 
|
Miguel Hernández Agosto (1927–2016) |
1981 | 1993 | PPD
|
Sergio Peña Clos 1981–1988 Miguel Deynes Soto 1989–1993 |
| 10 | 
|
Roberto Rexach Benítez (1929–2012) |
1993 | 1997 | PNP
|
Luisa Lebrón de Rivera 1995–1997 |
| 11 | 
|
Charles A. Rodríguez Colón (b. 1954) |
1997 | 2001 | PNP
|
Luz Z. Arce Ferrer 2000–2001 |
| 12 | 
|
Antonio Fas Alzamora (b. 1948) |
2001 | 2005 | PPD
|
Velda González de Modestti
|
| 13 | 
|
Kenneth D. McClintock Hernández (b. 1957) |
2005 | 2009 | PNP
|
Orlando Parga Figueroa
|
| 14 | 
|
Thomas Rivera Schatz (b. 1966) |
2009 | 2013 | PNP
|
Margarita Nolasco Santiago |
| 15 | Eduardo Bhatia (b. 1964) |
2013 | 2017 | PPD
|
José Luis Dalmau | |
| 16 |
|
Thomas Rivera Schatz (b. 1966) |
2017 | 2021 | PNP | Larry Seilhamer Rodríguez |
| 17 | 
|
José Luis Dalmau (b. 1966) |
2021 | present | PPD | Marially González Huertas |
References
- ^ a b "Article III, Section 9". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ^ a b c d R. del S. 21 del 2013, "Reglamento del Senado de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish) Senate of Puerto Rico (January 15, 2013). Retrieved on August 9, 2013.