Esta ley declara como política pública del Gobierno de Puerto Rico la promoción de la creatividad, la apreciación y el conocimiento de la cultura, el idioma y la historia, así como el apoyo a los museos públicos y privados. Asigna $3,000,000 al Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico para el año fiscal 2004-2005, autoriza la aceptación de donaciones y el pareo de fondos.
(Approved September 23, 2004)
To declare as public policy of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the promotion of creativity as an essential element of our identity, as well as appreciation and knowledge of our culture, language and history to project ourselves to the world; to establish as public policy the providing of assistance to our public and private museums to further their development and institutional solidity; to appropriate three million $(3,000,000)$ dollars to the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico for fiscal year 2004-2005; to establish the provisions of this Act; to allow the acceptance of donations; and to authorize the matching of the appropriated funds.
The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (the Museum) is a public cultural institution whose mission is to promote the knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of Puerto Rican art. For such purpose, the Museum collects, conserves, interprets, exhibits local works of art, as well as those from other countries, to contribute toward the education and enjoyment of the general public. Due to its prestige in the arts, the Museum contributes toward the development of tourism in Puerto Rico and due to its location, it is the focal point for the restoration of the Santurce area.
The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico was visualized, developed and established in 1993, as a public initiative due to the undertakings of public officers and has been supported by public resources since its beginnings. In 1998, a nonprofit entity incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Inc., joined these efforts. It presently operates the Museum and contributes to its financing.
The modern facilities of the Museum have 130,000 square feet. The west wing
is a neoclassical structure transformed into a magnificent museum for the preservation of Puerto Rican art to be enjoyed by future generations. Today, this historic building houses the permanent collection of the Museum and an exhibit of Puerto Rican art that spans from colonial times to the present, owned by public and private collectors, which is exhibited on loan and is changed periodically.
The east wing of the Museum is a modern five-story structure with an atrium three stories high, an interactive family gallery, a conservation laboratory, two 5,000 square feet exhibition galleries, studios and workshops that are part of the Museum's Department of Education and an auditorium that accommodates 400 persons.
A visit to the Museum requires a walk through the spectacular sculptural garden, which contains the works of 14 local artists along the paths, with approximately 106,000 plants and 26 species of trees displaying the beauty of Puerto Rican flora, as well as a refreshing lake.
Given the importance of its mission and the value of its public cultural programs, as well as the worth of its buildings and art collections, the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico deems the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico to be a cultural legacy and patrimony of the people, for the benefit of the entire Puerto Rican community.
On the basis of the public policy of this Government to collaborate with the existing museums to promote their development and institutional solidity the approval of this Act is granted.
Section 1.- It is hereby established as the public policy of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to promote creativity as an essential element of our identity, as well as the appreciation and knowledge of our culture, language and history to project ourselves to the world, and to support our public and private
museums, such as the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, and foster their development and institutional solidity.
Section 2.- El Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Inc., under the custody of the Office of Management and Budget, is hereby appropriated the sum of three million $(3,000,000)$ dollars from unencumbered funds in the Commonwealth Treasury as a contribution for fiscal year 2004-2005 from the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to defray the operating expenses of The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.
Section 3.- The acceptance on behalf of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is hereby authorized of contributions in cash and other donations from private citizens and entities necessary and convenient for the purposes stated in this Act.
Section 4.- The matching of appropriated funds with individual, state, municipal, and federal contributions is hereby authorized.
Section 5.- The Office of Management and Budget, as a part of its duties as custodian of the funds granted herein shall render an audit report to the Legislature at the end of the fiscal year.
Section 6.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 486 (S.B. 2973) of the $7^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to declare as public policy of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the promotion of creativity as an essential element of our identity, as well as appreciation and knowledge of our culture, language and history to project ourselves to the world; to establish as public policy the providing of assistance to our public and private museums to further their development and institutional solidity; to appropriate three million $(3,000,000)$ dollars to the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico for fiscal year 2004-2005; to establish the provisions of this Act; to allow the acceptance of donations; and to authorize the matching of the appropriated funds, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $29^{ ext {th }}$ of February of 2008.
Francisco J. Domenech Director