The Puerto Rico government transition process is the process followed by the
executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico
The executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico is responsible for executing the laws of Puerto Rico, as well as causing them to be executed. Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico vests the executive power on the Governor—w ...
when it must transition from one
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
to another. The process is handled by two
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
s:
* the Outgoing Committee on Government Transition, composed of government officers from the incumbent administration, and
* the Incoming Committee on Government Transition, composed of aides and assistants of the upcoming governor-elect.
Puerto Rican law
The legal system of Puerto Rico is a mix of the civil law and the common law systems.
Language
Puerto Rico is the only current U.S. jurisdiction whose legal system operates primarily in a language other than American English: namely, Spanish. Be ...
establishes that the committees meet in
public hearing
In law, a hearing is a proceeding before a court or other decision-making body or officer, such as a government agency or a legislative committee.
Description
A hearing is generally distinguished from a trial in that it is usually shorter and o ...
whenever in session except when discussing
confidential information
Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise usually executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access or places restrictions on certain types of information.
Legal confidentiality
By law, lawyers are often required ...
.
Background and regulation
Historically, the transition of government was carried out on the basis of what had been custom and tradition without any formal regulation. This resulted in grants of contracts and auctions during the transition period, thus compromising the budget of the upcoming government.
declared by the 14th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, thereafter established and regulated the transitioning process, and set forth the tasks and obligations to be performed by the different government agencies. The law also established that the process must begin four
working day
The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most of t ...
s after the
general election, and conclude by or before December 31. It also established which government officers shall be part of the Outgoing Committee on Government Transition. The law also empowered the governor-elect to file a ''
mandamus'' in the
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ( es, Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico) is the highest court of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority to interpret and decide questions of Puerto Rican law. The Court is analogous to one of the state supreme c ...
shall the incumbent government refuse to comply with the law.
References
External links
www.transicionpuertorico.com - official site{{in lang, es
Elections in Puerto Rico
Executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico