The President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico —commonly called the Speaker of the House ( es, 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 of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is the controlling government document of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government a ...
. 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.
The Speaker is typically elected during the House inaugural session.
[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.
When absent, the Speaker is substituted by the
Speaker pro tempore
A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being".
...
.
Its counterpart in the
Senate is the
President of the Senate.
The current Speaker is
Tatito Hernandez, representative
at-large from the
Popular Democratic Party
Background
The Speaker traces its history back to more than years ago when the
Foraker Act
The Foraker Act, , officially known as the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian (albeit limited popular) government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had recently become a possession of the United State ...
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 Several laws eventually superseded said act, and the post was eventually established by the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
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is the controlling government document of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government a ...
, specifically
Article III, which establishes that, "
..he House of Representatives
hall electa Speaker from among
tsmembers." The Constitution, however, does not establish what a "Speaker" is nor what its function should be.
Internal rules adopted by the House through a
simple resolution In the United States, a simple resolution is a legislative measure passed by only either the Senate or the House. As they have been passed by only one house, simple resolutions are not presented to the President, and do not have the force of law. Th ...
establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.
Functions
Typically the Speaker is responsible for the observance and compliance of the House internal rules. He also typically:
Speakers
Speakers ''pro tempore''
The Vice President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico (commonly called the Speaker ''pro tempore'') is the second highest-ranking officer of the
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. The Speaker ''pro tempore'' substitutes the Speaker of the House in his absence. The Speaker pro tempore has a counterpart in the
Senate by the
President ''pro tempore'' of the Senate.
References
{{Officers of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
Officers of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico