Esta ley enmienda la Ley Núm. 47 de 6 de agosto de 1991, que creó la Corporación de Empresas de Adiestramiento y Trabajo (CEAT), para establecer estrategias mínimas para la promoción, mercadeo y exhibición de los productos y servicios elaborados y ofrecidos por la Corporación. La ley exige la colaboración de agencias, departamentos, instrumentalidades, corporaciones y municipios del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, incluyendo aeropuertos y puertos marítimos, para proveer espacios gratuitos para la exhibición de los productos de CEAT. El objetivo es apoyar la rehabilitación de confinados y menores transgresores a través del trabajo y el desarrollo empresarial.
(S. B. 2700) (Conference) (No. 478) (Approved September 23, 2004)
To add Section 18-A to Act No. 47 of August 6, 1991, as amended, which created the Employment and Training Enterprises Corporation Act, in order to provide on the minimal strategies for the promotion, marketing and exhibition of the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation, with the collaboration of the different agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including all passenger airports of Puerto Rico and the sea ports of San Juan, Cataño, Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra.
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, in Section 19 of Article VI, sets forth the principle of moral and social rehabilitation of the Puerto Rico correctional system. For said purpose, a series of administrative, legislative and jurisprudential initiatives have been developed, for the sake of protecting this governing principle.
Upon the approval of Act No. 47 of August 6, 1991, as amended, the Employment and Training Enterprises Corporation Act (CEAT Spanish acronym) was created to be "charged with the innovative planning and diversifying of the training, entrepreneurial development, and employment activities of these clients (convicts and transgressing minors) with the purpose of developing positive attitudes towards work, self esteem, betterment, leadership and good citizenship in all its participants, among others."
At present, CEAT has sewing, computer repair, woodworking and printing workshops. Among the products made in CEAT are the following: furniture, desks, chairs, bunk beds, computer desks, conference tables, church benches, court benches, mallets, mattresses, uniforms, chef hats, school desks, bulletin boards, bookshelves, bookrests, blackboards, pillows, aprons, pillowcases and sheets, credences, and files, among others. CEAT also offers printing services, such as business cards, postcards, invitations, logo-imprinted letterhead stationery, as well as printed forms and brochures in general, among others.
As a "Corporation," CEAT basically depends on the income generated by the sale of the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation, to defray its operating expenses. To guarantee certain income, at least from the government, into the accounts of the Corporation, in Section 17 of Act No. 47, supra, the following obligation is established: "all departments, agencies, and public instrumentalities and corporations, as well as the municipalities, shall purchase preferentially and directly from the Corporation those products, goods and services generated by the activities and programs whose establishment is hereby authorized, if they reasonably meet the requirements with regard to specifications and quality, if they are available for delivery in a reasonable time, if the funds needed for their acquisition are available, and if the prices compare reasonably with the current market prices."
However, the public departments, agencies, instrumentalities and corporations, and the municipalities of Puerto Rico have not complied with the provisions of the referred to Section 17. According to CEAT files, as of October 31, 2003, only 136 government entities ( 98 agencies and 38 municipalities) were giving support to the products and services of CEAT.
In view of this situation, on April 3, 2001, the Hon. Sila María Calderón, Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, issued Executive Order (OE-
2001-15) "to enforce compliance with Section 17 of Act No. 47 of August 6, 1991, as amended."
It is evident that the support of the different government agencies is essential and crucial for CEAT, not only for its financial stability, but also for the achievement of its guiding constitutional principle - the rehabilitation of convicts and/or transgressing minors.
However, the success of CEAT's programs does not depend merely on the above stated; it is also essential for CEAT to develop a series of initiatives geared toward the marketing, promotion and advertising of its products and services. Said initiatives shall not only count with all collaboration possible from the government sector, which is compel to make preferential purchases, but also from the private sector.
It is an undeniable fact that every day thousands of citizens of our Island resort to different agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico seeking government services and assistance. They even visit said agencies to process permits, such as the driver's licenses, and use and operation permits for businesses and construction (developers), among others.
Therefore, designating an area in the main lobbies of the agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Government of Puerto Rico for a minimum of time each year offers CEAT an affordable direct means of exhibiting its products and services. This, in turn, is beneficial for government entities involved in this initiative.
On the other hand, each day thousands of persons, including entrepreneurs, and persons of different nationalities and professions, among others, travel to intrastate, domestics and international destinations through the different airports of Puerto Rico. It is obvious that having an exhibition area in these airports allows travelers both local and foreign to learn about CEAT's products and services. Furthermore,
this initiative allows for the potential development of exporting CEAT's products and services.
With respect to the traffic of persons through the passenger airports of Puerto Rico, the Port Authority statistics for 2003 show the following information: Luis Muñoz Marín Airport in Carolina (940,203), Eugenio María De Hostos Airport in Mayagüez (54,821), Antonio Juarbe Airport in Arecibo (2,514), Benjamín Rivera Noriega Airport in Culebra $(65,768)$, Diego Jiménez Torres Airport in Fajardo (133,975), Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport in Vieques (109,401), Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla $(105,347)$, Humacao Airport $(7,693)$. Concerning the sea ports, the Ports Authority statistics show that 854,180 passengers traveled through the Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra sea ports in 2003.
Other facilities that are visited by mostly local public are the sea ports in San Juan, Cataño, Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra. Annually, on specific dates, due to the festivities held by some of the municipalities among which the travels are made, the flow of travelers increases considerably, which seems to be the perfect alternative to promote and exhibit CEAT's products and services.
Finally, this Legislature acknowledges the latest efforts of the Employment and Training Enterprises Corporation Act toward promoting its products and services with the purpose of obtaining the greatest support for its programs. This Legislature deems it meritorious to guarantee the permanence of several of said administratively established marketing and promotion initiatives. For example, a catalogue, brochure and/or any other propaganda on the products and services made and offered by CEAT should be maintained. Moreover, the Corporation shall prepare and maintain updated and accessible to public view a page on the World Wide Web, better known as the Internet, to promote the products and services made and offered by the same.
For the reasons above stated, in support of our society's wellbeing, and to
achieve, ensure and maintain a correctional system that is truly rehabilitating, this Legislature deems it prudent, necessary and indispensable for this Act to take effect.
Section 1.- Section 18-A is hereby added to Act No. 47 of August 6, 1991, as amended, to read as follows: "Section 18-A.- Strategies for the Promotion, Marketing and Exhibition of Products and Services
The Corporation shall develop strategies for the promotion, marketing and exhibition of the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation, with the collaboration of the different agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The Corporation shall prepare and distribute a catalogue, brochure and/or any other propaganda about the products and services made and offered by the same, for the purposes of marketing them to all the agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as to private entities and individual persons. Furthermore, the Corporation shall prepare and maintain updated and accessible to public view a page on the World Wide Web, better known as the Internet, to promote the products and services that made and offered by the same.
All agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall provide an area in the lobby of their main offices, which are visited by the public seeking their services, to the Corporation free of charge for a period of not less than fifteen (15) working days a year, either consecutively or interruptedly, upon agreement, to promote and exhibit the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation. The
foregoing provision shall apply to the main lobbies of government public service centers.
All agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall provide to the Corporation, a permanent area in the lobby of their main offices that are visited by the public in order to receive services, for the placement of a bulletin board on which the Corporation may affix materials for the promotion of the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation. The foregoing provision shall apply to the main lobbies of government public service centers. The area for the placement of the bulletin board, including its size, shall be identified by mutual agreement between the Corporation and the different agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The bulletin board shall be supplied by the Corporation.
All passenger airports in Puerto Rico, as well as the sea ports of San Juan, Cataño, Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra, shall be subject to the provisions of this Section. For such purposes, they shall provide to the Corporation, free of charge, for a period of not less than fifteen (15) working days a year, consecutively or interruptedly, upon agreement, an area or main lobby which is visited by the general public and passengers, for the promotion and exhibition of the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation.
The areas designated to comply with the purposes of this Section shall be subject to strict compliance with state and federal regulations and/or laws, as well as internal regulations and/or rules for the regulation of the operations in said facilities. The use of such areas by the Corporation to comply with the purposes of this Section shall not affect the operations and services rendered and/or offered to the citizenry by the different agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The areas designated to
comply with the purposes of this Section shall not be for-profit business areas or establishments.
The Corporation, by itself or through a representative or employee, shall not conduct sales transactions of its products and services in the areas designated to comply with the purposes of this Section.
Pursuant to the preceding paragraphs of this Section, if the Corporation needs, any utilities, such as, electric power services, among other similar ones in addition to the area for promoting and exhibiting, it shall assume the cost thereof before the public or quasi-public entity, unless there is a written agreement to the contrary between the parties."
Section 2.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 478 (S.B. 2700) (Conference) of the $7^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to add Section 18-A to Act No. 47 of August 6, 1991, as amended, which created the Employment and Training Enterprises Corporation Act, in order to provide on the minimal strategies for the promotion, marketing and exhibition of the products and services made and offered, respectively, by the Corporation, with the collaboration of the different agencies, departments, instrumentalities, corporations and municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including all passenger airports of Puerto Rico and the sea ports of San Juan, Cataño, Fajardo, Vieques and Culebra, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $15^{ ext {th }}$ of September of 2008.
Francisco J. Domenech Director