Esta ley crea el "Premio Actitud Dorada" para reconocer a empresas privadas que ofrecen asistencia, programas y servicios a precios razonables o gratuitos a personas mayores de 60 años. Establece una Junta Revisora para evaluar las propuestas de las empresas y seleccionar hasta tres ganadores anualmente. La ley detalla los requisitos para las empresas participantes, la composición y funciones de la Junta, y cómo se financiarán los premios y gastos administrativos.
(Approved December 28, 2003)
To create the Golden Attitude Award, to be presented to private enterprises that grant assistance, programs, and services at reasonable prices or free of charge to elderly persons.
Our community of elderly people exceeds five hundred and seventy thousand $(570,000)$ persons of whom more than fifty-five (55) percent are women. The programs and benefits that are offered by our government agencies are being reevaluated and restructured in order to provide a new glorious stage for our elderly people. This sector of the population is undergoing a phase of their life in which they want to have many years of peace and tranquility within a range of opportunities for entertainment and giving that enhance the educational capacity that this sector can provide. Our elderly people have the experience and capability to provide experiences that can help us to develop our new social and economic development policies.
The public policy of this Administration is to keep an alert, agile government and minimize bureaucracy. It is the public policy of the State to promote programs for the assistance, development and entertainment of our elderly people by the private enterprises of the country. Our democratic society functions in the measure that government as well as private enterprise decide to contribute to the improvement and development of all other sectors thereof. By virtue of our Constitution we have decided that the
more privileged and successful sectors shall contribute to rescue the other less privileged and advanced sectors of the citizenry.
For all of the above, the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico deems meritorious to create a prize that will reward the actions of private enterprises that contribute to the development of the quality of life of our elderly population.
Section 1.- The Golden Attitude Award is hereby created, to be presented to private enterprises that provide assistance, programs and services at reasonable prices or free of charge to the elderly.
Section 2.- For the purposes of this Act, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
a) Elderly Person - is a person who is sixty (60) years of age or over. b) Enterprise - is a firm, partnership, or corporation, founded and established, under the laws, norms and regulations of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with the purpose of engaging in businesses or projects of importance.
Section 3.- The Golden Attitude Reviewing Board is hereby created. The members of said Board shall be: the Director of the Office of Elderly Affairs, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Association of Pensioners of the Government of Puerto Rico; and two (2) persons of proven expertise in the field of gerontology and services to elderly persons, who shall be appointed by the Governor.
Section 4.- Function of the Reviewing Board. The Board shall meet no later than January 30 of each year, and shall request through a letter to all private enterprises with programs that benefit of elderly persons, according to a list provided by the Office of Elderly
Affairs, of all free programs with subsidies or reasonable prices, offered in Puerto Rico to benefit elderly persons. Each private enterprise proposal shall include one (1) cancelled twenty-five (25) dollar Internal Revenue Stamp, which shall be covered into the General Fund of the Government Office of Elderly Affairs of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which shall be appropriated by the Secretary of the Treasury to the budget of the Office of Elderly Affairs to defray the expense of the plaque, administrative expenses, and of the awards ceremony, as provided in this Act. In addition, these private enterprises shall include with their proposals, a negative tax debt certificate, as well as a certification in evidence that they have filed their income tax returns for the past three (3) years. Both certificates must be issued by the Department of the Treasury.
The Board shall meet again no later than June 30 of the same year, to evaluate the programs of the private enterprises that have submitted proposals before the Board. The way said evaluation shall be performed shall be determined by regulations to be developed by the Office of Elderly Affairs, with the Advisory Committee, pursuant to the provisions of the "Uniform Administrative Procedures Act," Act No. 170 of August 12, 1988, as amended.
The third and last meeting of the Board shall be held no later than October 30 of the same year, to submit the votes of each of the members, regarding the programs and private enterprises that are to be awarded, which shall not exceed three (3) private enterprises or programs a year. The programs shall not all be of the same enterprise.
Section 5.- The awards ceremony provided by this Act shall be performed as part of the different activities held on the Day of Homage to
Elderly, on April 30 of each year, as provided by Act No. 24 of April 27, 1933, as amended.
Section 6.- The award shall consist of a Resolution of Congratulation of the two legislative bodies, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and of a commemoration plaque which shall not exceed a cost of one hundred (100) dollars. The plaque, the award ceremony, and the administrative expenses of the Board shall be defrayed from the fees paid by each private enterprise that submits proposals to the Board.
Section 7.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 315 (H.B. 2589) of the $6^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to create the Golden Attitude Award, to be presented to private enterprises that grant assistance, programs, and services at reasonable prices or free of charge to elderly persons, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $27^{ ext {th }}$ of October of 2004.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director