P.R. Laws tit. 23, § 9021a

2019-02-20 00:00:00+00
§ 9021a. Appointments

The members of the Reviewing Board shall be appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Reviewing Board shall be composed of three (3) associate members. One of the members shall be a professional engineer, professional architect, professional planner or a professional in the field of natural or environmental sciences. Another member shall be an attorney admitted to the bar. The associate members shall have at least seven (7) years of experience after having been duly admitted to practice their respective professions in Puerto Rico, as may apply. However, in order to be appointed as a member of the Reviewing Board, the members shall be persons of renowned capability and knowledgeable, with at least five (5) years of experience in procedures concerning permit evaluation for the development and use of lands and areas relative to the purposes of this chapter. All of the members of the Reviewing Board shall be appointed for a term of seven (7) years.

The Governor shall designate as the Chair of the Reviewing Board an associate member who is an attorney-at-law by profession.

The Chair of the Reviewing Board shall earn the salary corresponding to a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Puerto Rico. All other associate members shall be compensated with the same salary as a Judge of the Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico. The members of the Reviewing Board shall be subject to compliance with the provisions of §§ 1801 et seq. of Title 3, known as the “Ethics in Government Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”. No member of the Reviewing Board may adjudicate matters in which he/she has a direct or an indirect personal interest or is a relative of the applicant parties within the fourth degree of consanguinity or second degree of affinity. Furthermore, any penalty, fine, or sanction established in this chapter shall apply to him/her.

The Governor shall also appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, three (3) alternate members to the Reviewing Board whenever the Chair thereof so determines. Alternate members shall receive compensation in the nature of per diems to be equal to the minimum per diems established for the members of the Legislature, for each day of session.

However, such members shall never earn more than thirty thousand [sic] (30,000) a year, which amount shall be taxable. Furthermore, if the person appointed to serve as alternate member should be an employee of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, such person shall not earn any per diem whatsoever.

If deemed necessary and based on the volume of work, the Chair of the Reviewing Board may request the Governor in writing to appoint additional panels of three (3) members to the Reviewing Board, pursuant to the requirements of this section, and to appoint an additional alternate member together with each panel thus added; none of the members of the Reviewing Board shall be an employee of the Planning Board, the Permit Management Office or an autonomous municipality.

History —Dec. 1, 2009, No. 161, § 11.2.