Term length 4 years | Inaugural holder Manuel F. Rossy | |
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Style The HonorablediplomaticMister Speakerwhen presiding over the House Nominator nominated internally by the House Appointer elected internally by the House Formation Foraker ActJones–Shafroth ActArticle III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico | ||
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. The Speaker is typically elected during the House inaugural session.
Contents
When absent, the Speaker is substituted by the Speaker pro tempore. Its counterpart in the Senate is the President of the Senate.
The current Speaker is Carlos Johnny Méndez, representative at-large from the New Progressive Party.
Background
The Speaker traces its history back to more than 117 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 Several laws eventually superseded said act, and the post was eventually established by the Constitution of Puerto Rico, specifically Article III, which establishes that, "[...]the House of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. Internal rules adopted by the House through a simple resolution establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.
Functions
Typically the Speaker is responsible for the observance and compliance of the House internal rules. He also typically: