Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
| Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico |
|
|---|---|
| 120px | |
| Style | The Honorable diplomatic Mister Speaker when presiding over the House |
| Nominator | nominated internally by the House |
| Appointer | elected internally by the House |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Inaugural holder | Manuel F. Rossy |
| Formation | Foraker Act Jones–Shafroth Act Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico |
| Deputy | Speaker pro tempore |
The President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico —commonly called the Speaker of the House (Spanish: Presidente de la Cámara de Representantes)— is the highest-ranking officer and the presiding officer of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. The Speaker has voting powers as it is elected amongst the own members of the House as established by Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico. The Constitution, however, does not establish its functions and since the House is the only body authorized by the Constitution to regulate its own internal affairs, the functions of the Speaker vary from session to session—save being called "Speaker" as the Constitution establishes.[1] The Speaker is typically elected during the House inaugural session.[2]
When absent, the Speaker is substituted by the Speaker pro tempore.[2] Its counterpart in the Senate is the President of the Senate.
The current Speaker is Jaime Perelló, representative at-large from the Popular Democratic Party.
Contents
Background
The Speaker traces its history back to more than 124 years ago when the Foraker Act formally established the post on April 12, 1900. Several laws eventually superseded said act, and the post was eventually established by the Constitution of Puerto Rico, specifically Article III, which establishes that, "[...]the House of Representatives [shall elect] a Speaker from among [its] members." The Constitution, however, does not establish what a "Speaker" is nor what its function should be.[1] Internal rules adopted by the House through a simple resolution establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.[2]
Functions
Typically the Speaker is responsible for the observance and compliance of the House internal rules. He also typically:[2]
<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
Speakers
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico Section 9, Constitution of Puerto Rico (July 25, 1952). Retrieved on August 9, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 R. de la C. 126 del 2013, "Reglamento de la Cámara de Representantes del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish) House of Representatives of Puerto Rico (January 15, 2013). Retrieved on August 9, 2013.
