The President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico —commonly called the Speaker of the House (
Spanish: 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, 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.[1] The Speaker is typically elected during the House inaugural session.[2]
The Speaker traces its history back to more than 124 years ago when the
Foraker Act 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 Several laws eventually superseded said act, and the post was eventually established by the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, specifically
Article III, which establishes that, "[...]the House of Representatives [shall elect] a Speaker from among [its] members." The Constitution, however, does not establish what a "Speaker" is nor what its function should be.[1] Internal rules adopted by the House through a
simple resolution establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.[2]
Functions
Typically the Speaker is responsible for the observance and compliance of the House internal rules. He also typically:[2]
presides all joint commissions,
resolves and decides all parliamentary situations and
rules of order brought in sessions,
names all permanent and special commissions of the House, as well as being a member ex officio of each one,
signs all bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, reorganization plans, and simple resolutions approved by the House and the Legislative Assembly,
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.