27th Senate of Puerto Rico explained

Session:27th
Start:2021
End:2025
President:José Luis Dalmau Santiago
Pro Tempore:Marially González Huertas
Majority Leader:Javier Antonio Aponte Dalmau
Majority Whip:Gretchen Hau
Minority Leader1:Thomas Rivera Schatz
Minority Leader2:Ana Irma Rivera Lassén
Minority Leader3:Juan Dalmau
Minority Leader4:Vargas Vidot
Minority Leader5:Joanne Rodríguez Veve
Minority Whip:Carmelo Ríos Santiago
Minority Whip2:Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl
Secretary:Yamil Rivera Vélez [1]
Sergeant:Javier Torres Rodríguez [2]
Seats:27
Term Length:4 years
Structure:Vigésimo séptimo Senado de Puerto Rico .svg
Party1: 12 PPD
Party2: 10 PNP
Party3: 2 MVC
Party4: 1 PIP
Party5: 1 PD
Party6: 1 Ind.
Voting System1:First-past-the-post
Last Election:November 8, 2020
Next Election:November 5, 2024
Legislature:19th
Lower House:31st
Session1:1st
Session1start:January 11, 2021[3]
Session1end:June 30, 2021
Session2:2nd
Session2start:August 16, 2021
Session2end:November 16, 2021
Session3:3rd
Session3start:January 10, 2022
Session3end:June 30, 2022
Session4:4th
Session4start:August 15, 2022
Session4end:November 15, 2022
Session5:5th
Session5start:January 9, 2023
Session5end:June 30, 2023
Session6:6th
Session6start:August 21, 2023
Session6end:November 14, 2023
Session7:7th
Session7start:January 8, 2024
Session7end:June 30, 2024
Session8:8th
Session8start:August 19, 2024*
Session8end:November 19, 2024*
Previous:26th
Next:28th

The 27th Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the 19th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico. Its counterpart in the lower house is the 31st House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.

The body will meet from January 2, 2021, to January 1, 2025, under the Federal Oversight and Management Board established by PROMESA.

The 27th Senate features a return to the standard composition of the body, with the number of senators decreasing to 27 from 30 in the 26th Senate of Puerto Rico, in accordance to III . 7 . Puerto Rico . 1952 . . For the first time in the Constitutional period starting in 1952, there was no clear majority party for the body, with the plurality coming from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD in Spanish) at 12 seats of the 14 needed to have a majority when the body is at 27 members.

The body is counterparted by the 31st House of Representatives of Puerto Rico in the lower house. It has given advice and consent to the nominees put forth by Pedro Pierluisi.

Leadership

Current leadership

! Office! Senator! District! Party
PresidentJosé Luis Dalmau SantiagoAt-largenowrap PPD
President pro temporeMarially González HuertasDistrict V – Poncenowrap PPD
Majority LeaderJavier Antonio Aponte DalmauDistrict VIII – CarolinaPPD
Majority WhipGretchen Marie Hau IrizarryDistrict VI – GuayamaPPD
Minority Leader – PNPThomas Rivera SchatzAt-largePNP
Minority Whip – PNPCarmelo Ríos SantiagoDistrict II – BayamónPPD
Minority Leader – MVCAna Irma Rivera LassénAt-largeMVC
Minority Whip – MVCRafael Bernabe RiefkohlAt-largeMVC
Minority Leader – PIPMaría de Lourdes SantiagoAt-largePIP
Minority Leader – PDJoanne Rodríguez VeveAt-largePD
Minority LeaderJosé "Chaco" Vargas VidotAt-largeIndependent

Vote for President of the Senate

Senatorial presidential election
José Luis Dalmau Santiago (PPD)
Ballot →11 January 2021
Required majority →14 out of 27
Sources[4]

Members

DistrictNameAffiliation
District I San JuanJuan O. Morales RodríguezPNP
Nitza Morán TrinidadPNP
District II BayamónMigdalia PadillaPNP
Carmelo Ríos SantiagoPNP
District III AreciboElizabeth Rosa VélezPPD
Rubén Soto RiveraPPD
District IV Mayagüez–AguadillaAda García MontesPPD
Migdalia González ArroyoPPD
District V PonceMarially González HuertasPPD
Ramón Ruiz NievesPPD
District VI GuayamaHéctor Santiago TorresPPD
Albert Torres BerríosPPD
District VII HumacaoRosamar Trujillo PlumeyPPD
Wanda Soto TolentinoPNP
District VIII CarolinaJavier Aponte DalmauPPD
Marissa Jiménez SantoniPNP
At-largeThomas Rivera SchatzPNP
William Villafañe RamosPNP
Gregorio Matías RosarioPNP
Keren Riquelme CabreraPNP
Juan Zaragoza GómezPPD
José Dalmau SantiagoPPD
Ana Irma Rivera LassénMVC
Rafael Bernabe RiefkohlMVC
María de Lourdes Santiago NegrónPIP
Joanne Rodríguez VevePD
José Vargas VidotIndependent

Non-officers

PostNamePolitical party
SecretaryYamil Rivera Vélez[5] PPD
Sergeant-at-ArmsJavier Torres Rodríguez PPD

Commissions

A notable departure from previous senates is the addition of more commission presidencies from outside the largest party in the chamber. While the 26th Senate had an independent senator as president of the Commission for the Development of Community Initiatives, José Vargas Vidot, this current body assigned one commission presidency to each delegation, as may be better seen in this table of standing commissions.

Standing and Special Commissions

|+ ! scope=col style="text-align: left" | Name! scope=col style="text-align: left" | President! scope=col style="text-align: left" | Vice President! scope=col style="text-align: left" | Secretary|-| Agriculture and Natural Resources| |José Luis Dalmau Santiago| |Ada García Montes| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves|-| Appointments| |José Luis Dalmau Santiago| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Rubén Soto Rivera|-| Compliance and Restructuring| |Marially González Huertas| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Ada García Montes|-| Cooperativism| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Migdalia González Arroyo|-| Community Initiatives, Mental Health, and Addiction| |José Vargas Vidot| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez|-| Development of the East Region| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Javier Aponte Dalmau| |Albert Torres Berríos|-| Development of the North Region| |Rubén Soto Rivera| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Albert Torres Berríos|-| Development of the South Central Region| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves| |Marially González Huertas| |Albert Torres Berríos|-| Development of the West Region| |Migdalia González Arroyo| |Ada García Montes| |Rubén Soto Rivera|-| Economic Development, Essential Public Services, and Consumer Affairs| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Ada García Montes| |Juan Zaragoza Gómez|-| Education, Tourism, and Culture| |Ada García Montes| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Albert Torres Berríos|-| Ethics| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Marially González Huertas| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves|-| Government| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves| |Juan Zaragoza Gómez| |Albert Torres Berríos|-| Health| |Rubén Soto Rivera| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Ada García Montes|-| Human Rights and Labor Affairs| |Ana Irma Rivera Lassén| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Rubén Soto Rivera|-| Innovation, Telecommunication,Urbanism and Infrastructure| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Albert Torres Berríos| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves|-| Internal Affairs| |Marially González Huertas| |Javier Aponte Dalmau| |Migdalia González Arroyo|-| Life and Family Affairs| |Joanne Rodríguez Veve| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey|-| Municipal Affairs and Housing| |Migdalia González Arroyo| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves|-| Poverty Eradication| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Migdalia González Arroyo|-| Public Safety and Veteran Affairs| | Thomas Rivera Schatz (PNP)| |Albert Torres Berríos| |Juan Zaragoza Gómez|-| Rules and Calendar| |Javier Aponte Dalmau| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry| |Ada García Montes|-| Social Welfare and Elderly Affairs| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Migdalia González Arroyo|-| Treasury, Federal Relations, and the Oversight Board| |Juan Zaragoza Gómez| |Ramón Ruiz Nieves| |Ada García Montes|-| Veterans' Affairs| |José Luis Dalmau| |Zoé Laboy Alvarado| |Carlos J. Rodríguez Mateo|-| Women's Affairs| |Migdalia González Arroyo| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry|-| Youth, Recreation and Sports| |Albert Torres Berríos| |Ada García Montes| |Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry|-| Special Commission on Legislative Monitoring of the Special Education Program of the Department of Education| | Mª de Lourdes Santiago Negrón|||-| Special Commission on Poverty Eradication| |Elizabeth Rosa Vélez| |Rosamar Trujillo Plumey| |Migdalia González Arroyo|-| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Sources[6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Certification of a company into the lobbying registry . Oficina del Secretario del Senado . Senado de Puerto Rico. 11 May 2022.
  2. Web site: Javier Torres . Funciones del Sargento de Armas . Senado de Puerto Rico . 11 May 2022.
  3. Web site: 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. Spanish. 2 March 1997. 4 May 2022.
  4. Web site: Diario de sesiones: Procedimientos y debates de la decimonovena Asamblea Legislativa, Iª Sesión Ordinaria . senado.pr.gov . Senado de Puerto Rico . 19 January 2023 . 12–13 . es-pr . 11 January 2021.
  5. Web site: Certificación (CERT-2021-0004 . 14 January 2021. 11 May 2022 . es . .
  6. Web site: Comisiones Permanentes 2021–2024 (translated to "Permanent Composition of Committees" . 11 May 2022 . es . Senado Puerto Rico.
  7. Web site: Public Safety and Veteran Affairs . senado.pr.gov.