P.R. Laws tit. 20, § 135h

2019-02-20 00:00:00+00
§ 135h. Funds

(a) Revenues.— The Board shall be supported by the revenues generated by its activities, including fees, charges and refunds. Said revenues, with the exception of fines, shall be deposited into a special account for the exclusive use of the Board, into which any interest yielded by the deposit of such revenues shall be added. These funds may only be used for administrative purposes and to comply with the purposes of this chapter. All fines imposed shall be deposited into the General Commonwealth Fund. In the event that the Legislature imposes additional responsibilities on the Board that go beyond the statutory responsibilities of licensure and discipline, the same shall provide sufficient, recurring funds to discharge such responsibilities.

(b) Budget.— The Board shall develop and adopt its own budget to reflect its revenues and interest, plus any costs relative to all areas regulated. Revenues and interest for each area regulated shall sustain the costs of regulating such area. The budget shall include expenses to establish and maintain a reserve fund. In order to comply with the purposes of this chapter, the Board shall be provided with the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for Fiscal Year 2008-2009; Provided, That said sum shall originate from annual appropriations chargeable to the General Fund. The appropriations of funds provided under this section shall be recurring. The budget shall include an item for expenses destined to defray the costs related to expert services which shall be known as the “Board Fund for Experts”. Provided, further, that for Fiscal Year 2013-2014, the sum of three million, two hundred thousand dollars ($3,200,000) shall be transferred from the funds available through this chapter to the “2013-2014 Budget Support Fund.”

(c) Fees.— The charges and fees shall be established by the Board pursuant to the needs established in the budget. The Board shall notify within a reasonable term the increase or decrease in fees and charges.

All physicians or osteopaths who wish to be granted a license to practice their profession shall submit a duly completed form provided by the Board to such effect, together with an internal revenues voucher on account of fees, as indicated in the regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter in connection with:

(1) License with examination.

(2) License by reciprocity.

(3) Provisional license.

(4) License renewal.

(5) License duplicates.

(6) First re-examination of each part.

(7) Special licenses for physicians or osteopaths serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, the United States Public Health Service, and the Veterans Administration.

(8) Specialty certificates.— The amount of these fees shall not be refunded to the applicant for failing to appear to the examination or for failing the examination. Fees paid by applicants shall be covered into the special account provided for these purposes in the Department of the Treasury for the exclusive use of the Medical Discipline and Licensure Examination.

(d) Fiscal year.— The Board shall operate under the same fiscal year of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

(e) Audits.— The Board shall be subject to an annual audit by the Office of the Comptroller, and a copy of such audit shall be remitted to the Governor, the Board, the Secretary of Health, and the Legislature.

History —Aug. 1, 2008, No. 139, § 39, eff. Jan 1, 2009; Apr. 8, 2011, No. 57, § 5; June 30, 2013, No. 43, § 3, eff. July 1, 2013.