Esta ley declara la segunda semana de septiembre de cada año como la "Semana Conmemorativa de los Policías y Bomberos de Puerto Rico" para honrar a aquellos que han fallecido en el cumplimiento del deber, inspirada en los eventos del 11 de septiembre de 2001. La ley establece que el Secretario del Departamento de Estado emitirá una proclama anual y que los costos de difusión serán cubiertos por el presupuesto del Departamento de Estado.
(Approved November 19, 2002)
To declare the second week of the month of September of each year as the "Puerto Rico Police Officers and Firefighters Memorial Week" to honor those police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty; to provide that said memorial, inspired by the hundred of police officers and firefighters who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York, Washington D.C and Pennsylvania shall be used to honor and extol the memory of Puerto Rico police officers and firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty, specially those who have died during the preceding year; to provide that no less that ten (10) days before the beginning of said week, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of State shall issue an annual official proclamation, in Spanish and in English, allusive to said week and to the events that inspired it, which shall be broadcasted on the communication media throughout the Island, including no less than three (3) newspapers of general circulation; to provide that the costs of said broadcast shall be paid by funds from the regular budget for expenses of the Department of State; and for other related purposes.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, that claimed the lives of approximately three thousand $(3,000)$ innocent victims, all of whom are cocitizens, many of Puerto Rican origin, at the World Trade Center in New York, at the Pentagon and on United Airlines flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania, forever marked the collective conscience of the American people, not to mention the whole world, including the people of Puerto Rico. Due to our geographic proximity, and our political relationship with the
United States of America, and the fact that many of those who died in said attacks, mainly in New York, were of Puerto Rican origin, we Puerto Ricans profoundly identify ourselves with said tragedy of unimaginable proportions.
In spite of the essentially depressing and tragic character of said events, all of us who witnessed through the media the fatal ending of said attacks, remained profoundly impressed with the heroic deeds of hundreds of New York City police officers and firefighters who, without thinking about their own safety, immediately responded to the emergency calls and quickly went to the World Trade Center on that terrible day, and ended loosing their lives when the Twin Towers collapsed. There is no doubt that said men and women represent the admirable courage that identifies firefighters and police officers around the world, but particularly in the United States and Puerto Rico.
In view of the behavior of the New York police officers and firefighters who, without hesitation, offered their lives to save their fellow citizens on September 11, 2001, it is especially appropriate that, inspired by said example, we in Puerto Rico, for our part, acknowledge the courage of the men and women of the Puerto Rico Police and Firefighters Corps who, in equal spirit of dedication and sacrifice, have died in the line of duty, that is, defending the lives and properties of the citizens of Puerto Rico by declaring the second week of the month of September of each year as the "Puerto Rico Police Officers and Firefighters Memorial Week" to honor those police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
Section 1.- The second week of the month of September of each year is hereby declared as the "Puerto Rico Police Officers and Firefighters Memorial Week" to honor those police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Said memorial, inspired by the hundreds of police officers and firefighters who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania shall be used to honor and extol the memory of Puerto Rico police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty, specially those who died the preceding year.
Section 2.- Not less that ten (10) days before the beginning of said week, the Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of State shall issue an annual official proclamation, in Spanish and in English, allusive to said week and to the events that inspired it, which shall be broadcasted on the communication media throughout the Island, including no less than three (3) newspapers of general circulation. The costs of said broadcast shall be paid by funds from the regular budget for expenses of the Department of State.
Section 3.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 270 (S.B. 1730) of the $4^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to declare the second week of the month of September of each year as the "Puerto Rico Police Officers and Firefighters Memorial Week" to honor those police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty; to provide that said memorial, inspired by the hundred of police officers and firefighters who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York, Washington D.C and Pennsylvania shall be used to honor and extol the memory of Puerto Rico police officers and firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty, specially those who have died during the preceding year; etc., has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $13^{ ext {th }}$ of August of 2004.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director