19th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico
18th 20th
Overview
Legislative bodyLegislative Assembly of Puerto Rico
TermJanuary 2, 2021 (2021-01-02) – January 1, 2025 (2025-01-01)
Election8 November 2020
GovernmentPierluisi government
27th Senate
Members27
PresidentJosé Luis Dalmau
President pro temMarially González Huertas
Majority LeaderJavier Aponte Dalmau
Majority WhipGretchen Marie Hau Irizarry
Minority LeadersThomas Rivera Schatz (PNP), Ana Irma Rivera Lassén (MVC), M.ª de Lourdes Santiago Negrón (PIP), Joanne Rodríguez Veve (PD), José "Chaco" Vargas Vidot (Ind.)
Minority WhipsCarmelo Ríos Santiago (PNP),Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl (MVC)
29th House of Representatives
Members51
SpeakerTatito Hernández Montañez
Speaker pro temConny Varela
Majority LeaderAngel Matos García
Majority WhipRoberto Rivera Ruiz de Porras
Minority LeadersCarlos Johnny Méndez (PNP), Mariana Nogales Molinelli (MVC), Denis Márquez Lebrón (PIP), Lisie Burgos Muñiz (PD)
Minority WhipsGabriel Rodríguez Aguiló (PNP), José Bernardo Márquez Reyes (MVC)
Sessions
1stJanuary 11, 2021[1] – June 30, 2021
2ndAugust 16, 2021 – November 16, 2021
3rdJanuary 10, 2022 – June 30, 2022
4thAugust 15, 2022 – November 15, 2022
5thJanuary 9, 2023 – June 30, 2023
6thAugust 21, 2023 – November 14, 2023
7thJanuary 8, 2024 – June 30, 2024
8thAugust 19, 2024* – November 19, 2024*

The 19th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico will meet from January 2, 2021, to January 1, 2025. Members of the 31st House of Representatives of Puerto Rico were elected in the 2020 House of Representatives election, while members of the 27th Senate of Puerto Rico were elected the same day in the Senate election. The Popular Democratic Party (PPD in Spanish) does not have an outright majority in the Senate, but controls the chamber. While the PPD had a simple majority of representatives in the 31st House of Representatives from 2021 to 2022, this has ceased to be the case since 4 May 2022.

Major legislation

The following is a non-extensive list of legislation with far-reaching impact in Puerto Rican society approved by the 19th Legislative Assembly. For an extensive list of all legislation approved in this legislature see List of acts of the 19th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico.

Enacted

  • Law 10 of 2022: Special Law for the Minimum Salary of Teachers in the Public Education System.[2] Increased the minimum salary for teachers to $2,750 monthly.
  • Law 47 of 2021: Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Act. [3] The law increased the minimum wage from 7.25 to $10.50 per hour (or higher) by 1 July 2024; allows Puerto Rico’s minimum wage to prevail over the federal minimum wage if Puerto Rico's is higher; created the Minimum Wage Review Commission within the Department of Labor and Human Resources which will review and increase the minimum wage yearly via decrees; and provided employees of local businesses not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 with protections.

Proposed

  • Senate Bill 693: Law for the Protection of the Conceived in its Gestational Stage of Viability.[5] Would remove or restrict medical exemptions from the abortion section of the Puerto Rico penal code as recognized in Pueblo de Puerto Rico v. Pablo Duarte Mendoza (1980). The Senate approved it on 21 June 2022, by a vote of 16 for, 9 against, one abstained and one absent. It has been referred to the House of Representatives, and awaits consideration.
  • House Bill 1037: To amend Section 404 (a) of the Puerto Rico Controlled Substances Act, Act No. 4 of 23 June 1971, as amended, for the purpose of decriminalizing the simple possession of fourteen (14) grams or less of marijuana.[6] Would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. Puerto Rico currently allows medical marijuana use and sales, but not recreational marijuana use. Failed to pass in the House of Representatives on 1 November 2022, by a vote of 19 for, 26 against, 2 abstained, 3 absent.

Leadership

Senate

Office Senator[7] Party District
President José Luis Dalmau Santiago PPD District VII
Vice President Marially González Huertas PPD District V
Majority Leader Javier Antonio Aponte Dalmau PPD District VIII
Minority Leaders Thomas Rivera Schatz PNP At-large
María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón PIP At-large
Ana Irma Rivera Lassén MVC At-large
Joanne Rodríguez Veve PD At-large

House of Representatives

Office Representative Party District
Speaker of the House Tatito Hernández Montañez PPD District 11
Speaker Pro Tem Conny Varela PPD District 32
Majority Leader Angel Matos García PPD District 40
Minority Leaders Johnny Méndez PNP District 36
Mariana Nogales Molinelli MVC At-large
Denis Márquez Lebrón PIP At-large
Lisie Burgos Muñiz PD At-large

Party summary

Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section below.

Senate

Affiliation Party
(shading indicates control of presidency and leadership of the chamber)
Total Vacant
Popular Democratic Citizen Victory Independence Independent Project Dignity New Progressive
End of previous Legislature 7 0 1 1 0 21 30 0
Begin (2 January 2021) 12 2 1 1 1 10 27 0
30 June 2022 9 26 1
11 September 2022 10 27 0
Latest voting share 44.4% 7.4% 3.7% 3.7% 3.7% 37.0%  

House of Representatives

Affiliation Party
(shading indicates control of presidency and leadership of the chamber)
Total Vacant
Popular Democratic Citizen Victory Independence Independent Project Dignity New Progressive
End of previous Legislature 16 1 1 0 0 34 51 0
Begin (2 January 2022) 26 2 1 0 1 21 51 0
11 January 2021[lower-alpha 1] 20 50 1
21 March 2021[lower-alpha 1] 21 51 0
4 May 2022[lower-alpha 2] 25 1
11 September 2022 [lower-alpha 3] 20 50 1
6 December [lower-alpha 3] 21 51 0
Latest voting share 49.0% 3.9% 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 41.2%  

Changes in membership

Senate

District
Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
installation
I - San Juan Henry Neumann Resigned, effective on 30 June 2022[8]
A special election was held on 11 September 2022[9]
Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez 11 September 2022

House of Representatives

District
Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
installation
2 Luis Raúl Torres Changed party, 4 May 2022[10] Luis Raúl Torres 4 May 2022
3 Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez Became senator, vacating House seat,[11]
Vacancy filled in special election in December.[12]
José «Cheíto» Hernández Concepción.[13] 6 December 2022
At-large Néstor A. Alonso Vega Resigned upon being charged on 11 January 2021.[14]
A special election was held on 21 March 2021.[15]
José «Che» Pérez Cordero.[16] 21 March 2021

Notes

  1. 1 2 In At-Large seat: Néstor A. Alonso Vega (PNP) resigned on 11 January 2021 as he was charged with corruption. His successor, José Pérez Cordero was elected on 21 March 2021.
  2. In District 2: Luis Raúl Torres Cruz (PPD) broke from the party caucus and declared himself independent on 4 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 In San Juan District 3 seat: Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez (PNP) became Senator, leaving a vacancy that was filled in a special election in December.

References

  1. "Ley para Fijar la Duración de las Sesiones Ordinarias y los Plazos para la Radicación y la Consideración de Proyectos, Resoluciones Conjuntas y Resoluciones Concurrentes" (PDF) (in Spanish). 2 March 1997. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  2. "Ley Especial de Salario Base para el Magisterio del Sistema de Educacion Publico" (PDF). Sistema Único de Trámite Legislativo (in Spanish). Oficina de Servicios Legislativos. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. "Puerto Rico Minimum Wage Act" (PDF). Sistema Único de Trámite Legislativo. Oficina de Servicios Legislativos. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  4. "Dignified Retirement Act Act" (PDF). Sistema Único de Trámite Legislativo. Oficina de Servicios Legislativos. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  5. "PS0693". Sistema Único de Trámite Legislativo (in Spanish). Oficina de Servicios Legislativos. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  6. "PC1037". Sistema Único de Trámite Legislativo (in Spanish). Oficina de Servicios Legislativos. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  7. "Senators of the 19th Legislative Assembly". Senado de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Puerto Rico Senate. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  8. "El senador Henry Neumann renuncia a su puesto". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. "CEE Event: Special Election for District I senator". senadordistrito1.ceepur.org. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  10. Rico, Sofía (4 May 2022). "Representante Luis Raúl Torres se desafilia del PPD". Noticel. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  11. "Juan Oscar Morales es el ganador de la elección especial por silla en el Senado". Metro Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  12. "CEE Event". representantedistrito3.ceepur.org.
  13. "Certificación para el cargo de representante" (PDF). www.ceepur.org (in Spanish). Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  14. "Néstor Alonso renuncia a su escaño en la Cámara de Representantes". El Nuevo Día. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  15. "Special Election to cover the vacancy of the At-Large Representative". State Election Commission. State Election Commission.
  16. "Lista la CEE para la elección especial del PNP". El Nuevo Día. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
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