Esta ley enmienda la Ley Núm. 5 de 1 de marzo de 1956 para aumentar la asignación anual al Ateneo Puertorriqueño a quinientos mil (500,000) dólares para ayudar a sufragar sus gastos operacionales. También requiere que los directores del Ateneo rindan un informe anual detallado al Secretario de Hacienda y a la Oficina del Contralor sobre el uso de los fondos.
(Approved August 29, 2002)
To amend Section 1 of Act No. 5 of March 1, 1956, as amended, by Act No. 125 of August 9, 1995, for the purpose of increasing the annual appropriation to help defray the operating expenses of the Puerto Rico Atheneum; to require the rendering of reports and other matters.
The Puerto Rico Atheneum is the oldest cultural institution in Puerto Rico. The almost 125 years of continuous existence make it, in its turn, the oldest nonsectarian organization of our country. Since its beginnings in 1876 it has been a non-profit organization that offers its services free of cost to our society.
Since 1956, the Atheneum has received contributions from the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to help defray its operating expenses. Presently, it receives the amount of three hundred thousand $(300,000)$ dollars as provided by Act No. 125 of August 9, 1995, and sixty thousand $(60,000)$ dollars as donations, as established by the General Budget of Expenses of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for fiscal year 2000-2001.
The achievements of the Atheneum and its fruitful services to the Puerto Rican people exceed the contributions currently made to this historic institution. In spite of all these achievements, the effort of people who devote themselves with so much care working for the Atheneum, has
diminished because of economic constraints that prevent the fulfillment of certain activities. The lack of economic resources has forced the institution to discontinue essential services to our community and to resort to other more expensive alternatives to be able to continue offering its services effectively. In view of the services that this venerable institution has offered to our country and of the opportunity it offers us to continue taking advantages of its services, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico feels the responsibility of helping to defray some of the Atheneums needs for additional resources. To such ends, it is necessary to consolidate the donation of sixty thousand $(60,000)$ dollars appropriated the same by the General Budget of Expenses of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with the three hundred thousand $(300,000)$ dollars that it has been receiving through Act No. 5 of March 1, 1956, as amended, and to appropriate it the additional amount of one hundred forty thousand $(140,000)$ dollars, which will provide the Atheneum with an amount of five hundred thousand $(500,000)$ dollars annually to help defraying its operating expenses in its service to the country.
Section 1.- Section 1 of Act No. 5 of March 1, 1956, as amended, is amended to read as follows: "Section 1.- The sum of five hundred thousand $(500,000)$ dollars is hereby appropriated annually for the Puerto Rico Atheneum to help this institution accomplish the public purposes sought by it. If any portion of the funds appropriated is not used during the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made, the same shall revert to the Commonwealth Treasury at the close of the fiscal year. It shall be the duty of the directors of the Atheneum to render a detailed annual report to the
Secretary of the Treasury, the Office of the Comptroller, stating when, where and how the funds appropriated by this section have been spent. It shall also be the duty of the directors of the Atheneum to send a copy of said report to the Clerk of the House of Representatives when they should be so required."
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 224 (H.B. 2277) of the $3^{ ext {rd }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to amend Section 1 of Act No. 5 of March 1, 1956, as amended, by Act No. 125 of August 9, 1995, for the purpose of increasing the annual appropriation to help defray the operating expenses of the Puerto Rico Atheneum; to require the rendering of reports and other matters, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $6^{ ext {th }}$ of August of 2004.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director