Senate of Puerto Rico
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The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, smaller than the House of Representatives. Together, they compose the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico. Two legislative support agencies are part of the Legislative Assembly---the Office of Legislative Services and the Superintendent of the Capitol.
The Senate, its members and staff are housed in the eastern half of the Capitol Building, the Rafael Martinez Nadal Senate Annex Building, the Luis Muñoz Marín Office Building, the Antonio R. Barcelo Building, the Luis A. Ferré Building and the Ramón Mellado Parsons Office Building. The Legislative Assembly Tourism Office offers tours of the historic facilities in the Capitol seven days a week.
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[edit] Composition
In order to elect the members of the Senate, Puerto Rico is divided into eight senatorial districts:
For each one of these districts, the people of Puerto Rico elect two Senators. In addition, the people are allowed to vote for one Senator at-large of their preference. The eleven Senators at-Large with the majority of votes integrate the rest of the Senate.
Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico states that no person can be a member of the Senate unless he or she:
- is capable of reading and writing in either Spanish or English;
- is a citizen of the United States and Puerto Rico;
- has resided in Puerto Rico for at least two years immediately prior to the date of his election or appointment;
- is over thirty years of age.
[edit] Latest election
| Parties | District Votes |
District % |
District Seats |
At Large Votes |
At Large % |
At Large Seats |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Progressive Party (Partido Nuevo Progresista) | 1,845,204 | 48.6 | 11 | 845,228 | 44.3 | 6 | 17 | |
| Popular Democratic Party (Partido Popular Democrático) | 1,768,374 | 46.6 | 5 | 767,626 | 40.3 | 4 | 9 | |
| Puerto Rican Independence Party (Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño) | 160,632 | 4.2 | 0 | 178,541 | 9.4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Independence Movement of the Eastern Region (Movimiento Independiente Region Este) | 2,936 | 0.1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | |
| Independent | - | - | - | 97,673 | 5.1 | 0 | - | |
| Others | 826 | 0.0 | 0 | 297 | 0.0 | 0 | - | |
| Total (turnout 81.7 %) | 3,777,972 | 100.0 | 16 | 1,889,365 | 100.0 | 11 | 27 | |
| Blank and Null Votes | 17,245 | 0.4 | - | 17,245 | 0.7 | - | - | |
| Total votes cast | 3,795,217 | - | - | 1,906,610 | - | - | - | |
| Source: (Spanish) Elections Puerto Rico | ||||||||
The Senate is currently composed of 17 members elected under the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (NPP), nine members elected under the pro-status quo Popular Democratic Party (PDP) and one member elected under the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP). The majority delegation has been split since May 2005 among members committed to the current Senate leadership and those who would replace the Senate president with defeated 2004 NPP gubernatorial candidate Pedro Rosselló. As a result of the split, only seven senators, five loyal to the current leadership, and two supporting Rossello, chair all Senate committees. Current leadership is as follows:
- Senator Kenneth McClintock - President of the Senate
- Senator Orlando Parga - Vice President of the Senate
- Senator Jorge de Castro Font - Chairman, Senate Rules Committee
- Senator Margarita Nolasco - Senate Majority Leader
- Senator Carlos Pagán - Senate Majority Whip
- Senator Jose Luis Dalmau - Senate PDP Minority Leader
- Senator Sila Mari González - Senate Minority Whip
- Senator Maria de Lourdes Santiago - Senate PIP Minority Leader
- Manuel A. Torres - Secretary of the Senate
- Carlos Fajardo - Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate
The Office of Legislative Services is currently headed by Francisco Domenech, while Eliezer Velázquez currently serves as Superintendent of the Capitol.
[edit] Current members of the Puerto Rico Senate
- President of the Senate: Kenneth McClintock Hernández (1993-present) NPP-At Large
- Modesto Agosto Alicea (1997-present) PDP-Ponce
- Roberto Arango Vinent (2005-present) NPP-San Juan
- Luz Arce Ferrer (1997-present) NPP-At Large
- Eudaldo Báez Galib (1993-present) PDP-At Large
- Norma Burgos Andujar (2001-present) NPP-At Large
- José Luis Dalmau Santiago (2001-present) PDP-Humacao
- Jorge de Castro Font (2005-present) NPP-At Large
- Carlos Díaz Sánchez (2005-present) NPP-San Juan
- Antonio Fas Alzamora (1981-present) PDP-Mayaguez-Aguadilla "PDP-At Large"
- José Garriga Picó (2005-present) NPP-At Large
- Sila María González Calderón (2005-present) PDP-At Large
- José Emilio González Velázquez (2005-present) NPP-Arecibo
- Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral (2005-present) PDP-At Large
- Héctor Martínez Maldonado (2005-present) NPP-Carolina
- Luis Daniel Muñiz (2005-present) NPP-Mayaguez-Aguadilla
- Margarita Nolasco Santiago (2005-present) NPP-Guayama
- Migdalia Padilla Alvelo (2000-present) NPP-Bayamón
- Carlos Pagán González (1997-2001, 2005-present) NPP-Mayaguez-Aguadilla
- Orlando Parga Figueroa (1999- Present) NPP-At Large
- Bruno Ramos Olivera (1997-present) PDP-Ponce
- Carmelo Ríos (2005-present) NPP-Bayamón
- Pedro Rosselló González (2005-present) NPP-Arecibo (former Governor)
- María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón (2005-present) PIP-At Large
- Lornna Soto Villanueva (2005-present) NPP-Carolina
- Jorge Suárez Cáceres (2006-present) PDP-Humacao
- Cirilo Tirado Rivera (2001-present) PDP-Guayama
[edit] Notable former Senators
- Rubén Berríos Martínez (1973-1977,1985-1989,1993-2000) PIP-At Large (long-time political activist for the Puerto Rican independence movement, current president of the PIP party)
- Fernando Martín García (1989-1993,2001-2005) PIP-At Large
- Victoria Muñoz Mendoza (1986-1993) PDP-At Large (daughter of Luis Muñoz Marín, former gubernatorial candidate)
- Héctor O'Neill García (1989-1993) NPP-Bayamón (current mayor of Guaynabo)
- Ramón Luis Rivera Cruz (1993-2001) NPP-Bayamón (current mayor of Bayamon)
- Jorge Santini Padilla (1997-2001) NPP-San Juan (current mayor of San Juan)
- Freddie Valentín Acevedo (1993-1997) NPP-At Large
- Roberto Vigoreaux Lorenzana (2001-2005) PDP-At Large
[edit] Former Senators
The following is a list of former Senators of Puerto Rico, along with their years of service and the senatorial district they represented.
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[edit] Presidents of the Puerto Rico Senate
Luis Muñoz Marín (1941-1948) Fourth President of the Senate
Samuel R. Quiñones (1949-1968) Fifth President of the Senate
Rafael Hernández Colón (1969-1972) Sixth President of the Senate
Juan Cancel Ríos (1973-1976) Seventh President of the Senate
Luis A. Ferré (1977-1980) Eighth President of the Senate
Miguel Hernández Agosto (1981-1992) Ninth President of the Senate
Roberto Rexach Benítez (1993-1996) Tenth President of the Senate
Charlie Rodríguez (1997-2000) Eleventh President of the Senate
Antonio Fas Alzamora (2001-2004) Twelfth President of the Senate
Kenneth McClintock (2005-present) Thirteenth President of the Senate
[edit] Gallery
 Rubén Berríos Martínez |
 Kenneth McClintock Hernández |
 Roberto Prats Palerm |
 Pedro Rosselló González |
 María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Puerto Rican Senate official site (Spanish)
- The Office of Legislative Services / Oficina de Servicios Legislativos (Spanish)
