Esta ley enmienda la Ley Núm. 95 de 29 de junio de 1963, conocida como la "Ley de Beneficios de Salud para Empleados Públicos", para aumentar la contribución patronal del Gobierno de Puerto Rico a los beneficios de salud de sus funcionarios y empleados públicos, así como la de sus pensionados. Aumenta la contribución a $80 mensuales para empleados en dependencias gubernamentales (excepto los cubiertos por convenio colectivo bajo la Ley Núm. 45 de 1998, que se mantiene en $60) y a $100 mensuales para pensionados del Sistema de Retiro de los Empleados del Gobierno y del Sistema de Retiro para Maestros. La contribución mínima para los municipios se mantiene en $5 mensuales.
(H. B. 3493) (Conference) (No. 172) (Approved July 31, 2003)
To amend subsection
(a) of Section 8 of Act No. 95 of June 29, 1963, as amended, known as the "Public Employees Health Benefits Act," to increase the employer contribution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to the health benefits of its public officials and employees, as well as that of its pensioners.
Subsection
(a) of Section 8 of Act No. 95 of June 29, 1963, as amended, known as the "Public Employees Health Benefits Act," sets forth the Government's employer contribution to the health benefits of public employees. This contribution has increased along the years, and is currently at sixty (60) dollars per month.
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico acknowledges that public servants are its most valuable asset, and the importance of granting them health plans for their welfare and that of their families. In its efforts toward improving the working conditions of its employees, within its budgetary capabilities, it grants an increase of twenty (20) dollars in the employer contribution toward the health plans of its employees, and of forty (40) dollars in its contribution toward the health plans of the pensioners of the Public Employees Retirement System of the Government of Puerto Rico and the Teachers' Retirement System.
Aware of the autonomy of the municipalities to decide the amount of the contribution they shall make toward the health plans of their employees, according to their own economic resources, the minimum set forth by law in the case of the municipal employees covered by this Act remaines unaltered.
Section 1.- Subsection
(a) of Section 8 of Act No. 95 of June 29, 1963, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows: "(a) The employer contribution of the Government toward health benefits for employees covered by health plans under this Chapter shall be fixed in the General Budget of Expenses of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and shall not be less than five (5) dollars per month in the case of the municipalities, nor less than sixty (60) dollars per month for those employees under the collective bargaining agreement pursuant to Act No. 45 of February 14, 1998, as amended, nor less than eighty (80) dollars per month in the remaining government dependencies, nor less than one hundred (100) dollars per month for the pensioners of the Employees Retirement System of the Government of Puerto Rico and the pensioners of the Teachers' Retirement System, but shall not exceed the total amount of the fee to be paid by any employee.
(a) ...
(b) ...
(c) ..." Section 2.- The resources to defray the cost of the increase in the employer contributions of the Government for the benefit of the Teachers'
Retirement System shall be appropriated each year in the General Budget of Expenses of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Section 3.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 172 (H.B. 3493) (Conference) of the $5^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to amend subsection
(a) of Section 8 of Act No. 95 of June 29, 1963, as amended, known as the "Public Employees Health Benefits Act," to increase the employer contribution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to the health benefits of its public officials and employees, as well as that of its pensioners, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $15^{ ext {th }}$ of April of 2004.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director