Puerto Rico Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico
Incumbent Grace Santana Balado since December 9, 2015
Secretariat of Governance
Appointer	Governor of Puerto Rico
Term length	At the governor's pleasure
Formation	Executive order proclaimed in virtue of Act No. 104 of 1956
Salary	$137,592 USD[1]

The Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Secretario de la Gobernación de Puerto Rico) is the highest-ranking officer in the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico after the governor and the secretary of state. The Chief of Staff leads the Secretariat of Governance and is charged with managing and overseeing almost all executive agencies while assisting and advising the governor.

The current Chief of Staff is Grace Santana Balado who oversees the 16th Cabinet of Puerto Rico since December 9, 2015.

Duties and responsibilities

The duties of the Chief of Staff vary greatly from one administration to another, and in fact, there is no legal requirement that the Governor even fill or create the position. Nevertheless, one of the first acts undertaken by a new Governor once he is sworn in, is to issue an executive order proclaiming a new Chief of Staff. This order also establishes the Chief of Staff's duties and responsibilities as the Governor sees fit. This proclamation is done by virtue of the executive powers vested upon the Governor by Article IV of the Constitution and Law No. 104 of 1956 which include the faculty to appoint officers and to delegate functions.^[2][3][4]

The duties and responsibilities are both managerial and advisory and typically include the following:

• Manage and supervise the executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico
• Manage the flow of information between the Governor and the executive departments
• Advise the Governor on various issues

Agencies overseen

Both the Constitution of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican law usually ascribe all executive offices to either the Governor or the Office of the Governor. The Governor then issues an executive order proclaiming the delegation of the management and oversight of such executive offices onto the Chief of Staff. This proclamation is done in virtue of the executive powers vested upon the Governor by Law No. 104 of 1956 which include the faculty to delegate functions.

The agencies overseen by the Chief of Staff include all the executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico and almost all executive offices created either through an executive order or by law. The Office of Management and Budget and the Planning Board are the only executives offices not ascribed to the Secretariat—both report directly to the Governor.

In view of the fact that the Department of State is led by the Secretary of State, who is of a higher constitutional hierarchy than the Chief of Staff as well as Acting Governor on numerous occasions, as a matter of courtesy Chiefs of Staffs usually do not exercise oversight regarding that Department as they exert over others.

The agencies overseen by the Chief of Staff include the following:

Commission on Cooperative Development Commission on Safety and Public Protection Department of Agriculture Department of Consumer Affairs Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Department of Economic Development and Commerce Department of Education Department of Family Affairs Department of Health Department of Housing Department of Justice Department of Labor and Human Resources Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Department of Sports and Recreation

Department of Transportation and Public Works Department of Treasury Economic Development Bank Federal Affairs Administration Financing of Housing Authority Financing of Industrial, Touristic, Educative, Medical, and Environmental Control Facilities Authority (AFICA) Financing of Puerto Rico Infrastructure Authority Government Development Bank Municipal Financing Agency Public Financing Corporation Public-Private Partnerships Authority Urgent Interest Fund Corporation (COFINA)

Chiefs of Staff

• 1986–1987: Sila M. Calderón
• 1993–2001: Álvaro C. Cifuentes de Castro
• 2001–2005: César Miranda
• 2005–2006: Aníbal José Torres
• 2006–2009: Jorge Silva Puras
• 2009–2009: Juan Carlos Blanco Urrutia
• 2009–2012: Marcos Rodriguez Ema
• 2012–2013: Miguel Romero
• 2013–2014: Ingrid Vila Biaggi
• 2014–present: Víctor Suárez

References

1. "Table" (PDF) (in Spanish). Pr.gov. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
2. "Orden Ejecutiva" (PDF) (in Spanish). Presupestogobierno.pr. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
3. "Orden Ejecutiva" (PDF) (in Spanish). App.estado.gobierno.pr. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
4. "Delegacion del Gobernador de Ciertas Funciones y Deberes" (PDF) (in Spanish). Pr.gov. Retrieved 2015-05-04.