P.R. Laws tit. 13, § 111
(a) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Puerto Rico Public Corporation Debt Enforcement and Recovery Act”.
(b) Pursuant to §§ 9101 et seq. of Title 3, the Legislative Assembly has declared a state of fiscal emergency for the Commonwealth and its instrumentalities.
(c) The Legislative Assembly, in the exercise of its police power, is empowered to adopt measures aimed at protecting the public health, safety and welfare in a structured manner, while addressing the current fiscal situation of the Commonwealth and, in particular, of its public corporations. To that end, the Legislative Assembly may adopt legislation in response to social and economic interests, as well as in emergencies. Section 19 of the Bill of Rights of the Commonwealth Constitution provides that the enumeration of rights contained in Article II shall not be construed as to restrict “[t]he power of the Legislative Assembly to enact laws for the protection of the life, health and general welfare of the people”. Similarly, Section 18 of the Bill of Rights of the Commonwealth Constitution gives this Legislative Assembly authority to enact laws to address grave emergencies that imperil the public health, safety or essential public services.
(d) This chapter is adopted in the exercise of the Commonwealth’s police power, as well as under the Legislative Assembly’s power to adopt laws for the protection of the life, health and welfare of the people, such as in emergencies where the health, public safety and essential government services are clearly endangered. For these reasons, this chapter shall prevail over any other law.
(e) The public policy of this chapter shall be to restore the credit of the public corporations of the Commonwealth by improving the fiscal condition of the public corporations without affecting the essential functions of such entities.
History —June 28, 2014, No. 71, § 101.