27th Senate of Puerto Rico

Last updated
27th Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico parliament.jpg
In session
January 2, 2021 – January 1, 2025
Leadership
President José Luis Dalmau Santiago
President pro tem Marially González Huertas
Majority Leader Javier Antonio Aponte Dalmau
Majority Whip Gretchen Hau
Minority Leaders Thomas Rivera Schatz
Ana Irma Rivera Lassén
Juan Dalmau
Vargas Vidot
Joanne Rodríguez Veve
Minority Whips Carmelo Ríos Santiago
Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl
Non-officers
Secretary Yamil Rivera Vélez [1]
Sergeant-at-Arms Javier Torres Rodríguez [2]
Structure
Seats27 voting members
Vigesimo septimo Senado de Puerto Rico .svg
Parties represented   12 PPD
  10 PNP
  2 MVC
  1 PIP
  1 PD
  1 Ind.
Length of term4 years
Elections
Last election November 8, 2020
Next election November 5, 2024
Legislature
19th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico
Lower house
31st House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
Sessions
1stJanuary 11, 2021 [3] – 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*
  26th
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.

Contents

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 Article III, Section 7 of the Constitution of 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

   PPD    PNP    PIP    MVC    PD
OfficeSenatorDistrictParty
President José Luis Dalmau Santiago At-large PPD
President pro tempore Marially González Huertas District V – Ponce PPD
Majority Leader Javier Antonio Aponte Dalmau District VIII – Carolina PPD
Majority Whip Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry District VI – Guayama PPD
Minority Leader – PNP Thomas Rivera Schatz At-large PNP
Minority Whip – PNP Carmelo Ríos Santiago District II – Bayamón PPD
Minority Leader – MVC Ana Irma Rivera Lassén At-large MVC
Minority Whip – MVC Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl At-large MVC
Minority Leader – PIP María de Lourdes Santiago At-large PIP
Minority Leader – PD Joanne Rodríguez Veve At-large PD
Minority Leader José "Chaco" Vargas Vidot At-large Independent

Vote for President of the Senate

Senatorial presidential election
José Luis Dalmau Santiago (PPD)
Ballot →11 January 2021
Required majority →14 out of 27 Yes check.svg
Yes
14 / 27
No
  • • No parties or delegations voted against.
0 / 27
Abstentions
13 / 27
Absentees
  • • No absences.
0 / 350
Sources [4]

Members

   PPD    PNP    PIP    MVC    PD
DistrictNameAffiliation
District I San Juan Juan O. Morales Rodríguez PNP
Nitza Morán Trinidad PNP
District II Bayamón Migdalia Padilla PNP
Carmelo Ríos Santiago PNP
District III Arecibo Elizabeth Rosa Vélez PPD
Rubén Soto Rivera PPD
District IV Mayagüez–Aguadilla Ada García Montes PPD
Migdalia González Arroyo PPD
District V Ponce Marially González Huertas PPD
Ramón Ruiz NievesPPD
District VI Guayama Gretchen Marie Hau Irizarry PPD
Albert Torres Berríos PPD
District VII Humacao Rosamar Trujillo Plumey PPD
Wanda Soto Tolentino PNP
District VIII Carolina Javier Aponte Dalmau PPD
Marissa Jiménez Santoni PNP
At-large Thomas Rivera Schatz PNP
William Villafañe RamosPNP
Gregorio Matías Rosario PNP
Keren Riquelme Cabrera PNP
Juan Zaragoza Gómez PPD
José Dalmau Santiago PPD
Ana Irma Rivera Lassén MVC
Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl MVC
M.ª de Lourdes Santiago Negrón PIP
Joanne Rodríguez Veve PD
José Vargas Vidot Independent

Non-officers

   PPD
PostNamePolitical party
Secretary Yamil Rivera Vélez [5] PPD
Sergeant-at-Arms Javier Torres Rodríguez [lower-alpha 1] 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

   PPD    PNP    PIP    MVC    PD    Ind.
NamePresidentVice PresidentSecretary
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
Sources [7] [8]

Notes

  1. Senate (2022) "Sesión Ordinaria, día 64" [6]

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References

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