Puerto Rico Cabinet

16th Cabinet of Puerto Rico
Secretary Name Term
Agriculture Myrna Comas Pagán2013present
Consumer Affairs Nery Adamés Soto2013present
Corrections and Rehabilitation José Negrón Fernández2013present
Economic Development and Commerce Alberto Bacó Bagué2013present
Education Rafael Román Meléndez2013present
Family Idalia Colón Rondón2013present
Chief of Staff Ingrid Vilá Biaggi2013present
Health Francisco Joglar Rivera20132013
Ana Ríus Armendáriz2013present
Housing Rubén Ríos Pagán2013present
Justice Luis Sánchez Betances20132013
César Miranda2014–present
Labor and Human Resources Vance Thomas2013present
Natural and Environmental Resources Carmen Guerrero Pérez2013present
Sports and Recreation Ramón Orta2013present
State David Bernier2013present
Transportation and Public Works Miguel Torres Díaz2013present
Treasury Melba Acosta2013present

The Cabinet of Puerto Rico is the cabinet of the government of Puerto Rico and is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico, who are generally the heads of the executive departments known as the Council of Secretaries and other officers at the same bureaucratic levelknown as the Cabinet-level officers.

The Cabinet is composed by the Constitutional Cabinet, composed by the Secretaries established by the Constitution of Puerto Rico, and the Operational Cabinet, composed by the Secretaries and Cabinet-level officers established by extraconstitutional Puerto Rican law or appointed by the Governor. These Cabinets do not exist as agencies, but are referred as such in transcripts, records, official documents, and conversations for brevity and easiness.

Members of the Cabinet serve at the pleasure of the Governor, who may dismiss them or reappoint them (to other posts) at will.

Overview

Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico establishes that the Governor shall be assisted by Secretaries whom shall collectively constitute the Governor's advisory council and be designated as the Council of Secretaries.[1] These Secretaries and other officers which hold positions at the same bureaucratic level compose the Cabinet. On rare occasions, the Cabinet is called upon to ratify a gubernatorial decision, such as the appointment of a member of the board of the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank, in lieu of the Senate's advice and consent.

All Cabinet members are nominated by the Governor and then presented to the Senate for advice and consent by a simple majorityexcept for the Secretary of State who requires the advice and consent of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. If the Cabinet members are confirmed they are sworn in and begin their duties immediately afterwards. However, Cabinet members appointed during a legislative recess may begin serving immediately under a recess appointment until the end of the following regular session of the Legislative Assembly, or rejected by the Senate, whichever occurs first, should they not be confirmed. All members leading executive departments receive the title of Secretary.

Secretaries

The Council of Secretaries is the group composed by the heads of the executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico. The Council is charged with leading the different sectors of public administration within the government and is comprised by:

Cabinet-level officers

See also

Notes

  1. The President of the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank (GDB) is considered a Cabinet-level officer since the GDB serves as the government's fiscal agent and financial advisor even though the GDB is a government-owned corporation.

References

  1. Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico Section 5, Constitution of Puerto Rico (July 25, 1952). Retrieved on December 28, 2012.
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