Esta ley crea la Oficina de Orientación y Servicios a Ciudadanos Extranjeros en Puerto Rico, adscrita al Departamento de Estado. Su propósito es asistir y orientar a personas extranjeras residentes en la isla en áreas como servicios sociales, salud y educación, facilitando su adaptación y autosuficiencia en la comunidad. La oficina también ofrecerá orientación sobre localización de familiares, cursos de ciudadanía estadounidense y derechos y deberes como residentes de Puerto Rico.
(Approved October 28, 2002)
To create the Foreign Citizens Orientation and Services Office in Puerto Rico under the Department of State; to establish its purposes, duties and responsibilities.
According to the 1990 census, Puerto Rico had a population of $3,522,037$ residents, and the results of the 2000 census state that the population increased to $3,806,610$. Some of the residents are foreigners who come to the Island in search of a better quality of life.
To achieve it, they have to adequately interact within the community and search among the available options to integrate into and contribute toward the Island's social, economic and cultural development. Many of the persons who arrive in our country do not have the necessary knowledge and relations to begin a new life, achieve self-sufficiency and contribute with their participation in different activities of daily life in the new community. Others, even though they have the knowledge, require a liaison office to collaborate with them and guide them in order to successfully establish themselves and participate in our society.
The purpose of this Act is to create an organism that would provide the necessary guidance for these persons so that, through their efforts, they would be able to develop alternatives to solve their specific problems and needs, thus promoting a strengthening of their family relations. Likewise, it
shall be a liaison office between the community and the persons who have arrived in our Island intending to participate productively in our society. Said office shall provide orientation in the areas of health, social services and education, as well as offer citizenship workshops and of other matters of interest that would ease the participation of foreign citizens in our community life. This Legislature deems the effectiveness of this Act is necessary to help these persons to integrate into our community.
Section 1.- The Foreign Citizens Orientation and Services Office in Puerto Rico, hereinafter "the Office", under the Department of State, is hereby created with the purpose of helping and orientating foreign persons in Puerto Rico so that, through their own efforts, they may develop alternatives to solve their specific problems and needs thus promoting the strengthening of their relations with the community.
Section 2.- The Office shall organize and offer orientation to foreign persons living in Puerto Rico in matters related to social services, health and education or instruction, for same to establish themselves with selfsufficiency to achieve their necessary adaptation in the community. The Office shall offer orientation services on locating family members in other jurisdictions, educational courses to become American citizens, on the rights and duties of said foreigners as residents of Puerto Rico, and on any other matters the Office deems convenient.
Section 3.- The Department of State is hereby ordered to establish collaborative liaisons and agreements with the corresponding state and federal agencies, as well as the municipalities, to carry out the purposes of this Act.
Section 4.- The resources needed to operate the Foreign Citizens Orientation and Services Office in Puerto Rico shall be included as part of the operating expenses of the Department of State.
Section 5.- This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.
I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 254 (S.B. 757) of the $4^{ ext {th }}$ Session of the $14^{ ext {th }}$ Legislature of Puerto Rico:
AN ACT to create the Foreign Citizens Orientation and Services Office in Puerto Rico under the Department of State; to establish its purposes, duties and responsibilities, has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, today $6^{ ext {th }}$ of August of 2004.
Elba Rosa Rodríguez-Fuentes Director