Global InformationSenate of Puerto Rico information
Senate of Puerto Rico Senado de Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
| 27th Senate of Puerto Rico | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico |
| History | |
| Founded | August 13, 1917 |
| Preceded by | Executive Council (1900–1917) |
| Leadership | |
President | José Luis Dalmau (PDP) since January 2, 2021 |
President pro tempore | Marially González Huertas (PDP) since January 2, 2021 |
Majority Leader | Javier Aponte Dalmau (PDP) since January 2, 2021 |
Minority Leader | Thomas Rivera Schatz (NPP) since January 2, 2021 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 27 |
 | |
Political groups | PPD (12) PNP (10) MVC (2) PIP (1) PD (1) Independent (1) |
| Elections | |
Voting system | Plurality-at-large for 16 electoral districts seats and single non-transferable vote for 11 at-large seats |
Last election | November 3, 2020 |
Next election | November 5, 2024 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Capitol of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico | |
| Website | |
| http://www.senado.pr.gov | |
The Senate of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico.
The structure and responsibilities of the Senate are defined in Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico which vests all legislative power in the Legislative Assembly.[1] Every bill must be passed by both, the Senate and the House, and signed by the Governor of Puerto Rico in order to become law.[2]
The Senate has exclusive power to try and to decide impeachments.[3] The constitution also establishes that all secretaries appointed by the governor to the different executive departments, as well as all judges and the Comptroller, require the advice and consent of the Senate.[4][5][6] Justices of the Supreme Court can not assume office until after confirmation by the Senate.[6]
The Senate has 27 members. Sixteen are elected from senatorial districts, with two senators per district, while an additional 11 are elected at-large.[a]
The Senate has been meeting since 1917, after the enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act established the body formally.[8] The current session is the 27th Senate of Puerto Rico which has a majority from the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico; giving the party control over the Senate without political opposition including constitutional amendments.[b]
The Senate, along with its members and staff, are housed in the eastern half of the Capitol of Puerto Rico. These buildings are usually the Rafael Martínez Nadal Senate Annex Building, the Luis Muñoz Marín Office Building, the Antonio R. Barceló Building, the Luis A. Ferré Building, the Ramón Mellado Parsons Office Building and the Baltasar Corrada del Rio Office Building.
- ^ "Article III, Section 1". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Article III, Section 19". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Article III, Section 21". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Article IV, Section 5". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Article III, Section 22". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Article V, Section 8". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Article III, Section 7,". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- ^ Pub. L. 64–368
- ^ "Article VII, Section 1". Constitution of Puerto Rico. July 25, 1952. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ^ "Elecciones Generales 2012 y Consulta Sobre el Estatus Político de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Puerto Rico State Commission on Elections. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
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