Esta ley enmienda la Ley del Centro de Coordinación de Excavación y Demolición de Puerto Rico para permitir que los fondos recaudados por dicho Centro sean utilizados por la Comisión de Servicio Público para cubrir sus gastos operativos, incluyendo los del propio Centro. Se justifica la medida debido a que el Centro opera como un programa adicional de la Comisión y esta última enfrenta problemas económicos y presupuestarios.
| (S. B. 2267) | |
|---|---|
| (No. 5) | |
| (Approved January 8, 2004) |
To amend the last paragraph of Section 12 of Act No. 267 of September 11, 1998, known as the "Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center of Puerto Rico Act," for that the money collected for the established rates to be used by the Public Service Commission for the operating expenses of the agency and said Center; and to establish its provisions.
Act No. 267 of September 11, 1998, created the Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center of Puerto Rico Act to protect the subterranean infrastructure of the country, attached to the Public Service Commission. The Center has as its own resource the collection of an annual tax from operators, excavators, demolishers and municipalities, pursuant to Act 267 (supra). The money so collected is used to pay the payroll and some expenses of the Center, which is an integral part of the Public Service Commission. It is so shown in said agency's organizational chart.
As such, the Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center works as an additional program of the Public Service Commission. That is to say, the Commission supplies to it all its needs for water, electricity, facilities and offices, technical services, administrative work, human resources, official collections and personnel of the Finance office; all the services and needs required by said Center.
On the other hand, during the last few years, the Public Service Commission has been facing economic and budgetary problems and urgently requires immediate satisfaction of the need for additional resources to adjust the operating expenses budget to the economic demands that the agency has in order to provide the services required by its mission and public policy and the citizenry in general.
In agreement with the above, this Act is aimed at transferring the collections or income of the Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center to the operating expenses budget of the Public Service Commission, since such Center is an additional program of said agency, which in its turn shall be beneficial to alleviate the budgetary expenses of the agency, without detriment to the Center's operations.
Section 1.- The last paragraph of Section 12 of Act No. 267 of September 11, 1998, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 12.- Charge - On or before sixty (60) days as of the approval of this Act, each operator shall pay to the Public Service Commission a single, initial contribution charge which shall be distributed in its origin by municipalities and public entities with installations in operation areas to be served primarily for the establishment of the Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center.
The money collected under this Section shall be covered into a special fund of the Public Service Commission for the operational expenses of said agency, including operating expenses of the Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center. ... Section 2.- This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 5 (S.B. 2367) of the $6^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to amend the last paragraph of Section 12 of Act No. 267 of September 11, 1998, known as the "Excavation and Demolition Coordination Center of Puerto Rico Act," for that the money collected for the established rates to be used by the Public Service Commission for the operating expenses of the agency and said Center; and to establish its provisions, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $4^{ ext {th }}$ of April of 2005.
Luis E. Fusté-Lacourt Director