Governor Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia signed 6 Executive Orders today, Saturday, just hours before taking the oath.
One of them orders the Department of Health to design a massive testing campaign to ensure the same in remote or hard-to-reach areas. Similarly, it orders the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Safety to create a settlement agreement with the federal prosecutor for the prosecution of corruption and white-collar crimes, among others.
Pierluisi signed Executive Order 2021-003 to enact measures of fiscal responsibility and control of expenses and Executive Order 2021-004 to prohibit spending on official photos of the governor and heads of agencies on the premises of government. While two other executive orders are to establish the structure of the office of governor and to appoint the administrator of the Office of Governor.
Meanwhile, Executive Order 2021-001 orders the Secretary of Health to design a massive campaign to administer Covid-19 tests. “The government needs to make more efforts to test and identify infections, which orders the Department of Health, with the advice of epidemiologists, to conduct mass testing campaigns and educational campaigns that result in the identification of cases of contagions, ”the governor expressed. The design of this campaign should ensure that the tests reach remote or hard-to-reach areas so that everyone has a chance to receive them.
OE 2021-002 orders the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Security to establish a collaboration agreement with federal agencies to tackle corruption. “Corruption in the public service is one of the main social ills that tears the people’s trust in their institutions. This administration has an inescapable commitment to strengthen the institutions of public order and have strong and appropriate tools to eradicate corruption, white-collar crime and crime in general A frontal war against corruption and crime is declared, the Department of Public Security and the Secretary of Justice are ordered to immediately and in coordination coordinate talks with the federal prosecutor. for the Puerto Rico district in order to establish, amend or improve any collaboration agreement for the prosecution of corruption offenses or white collar, ”the Executive Order maintains.
Executive Order 2021-003 is to decree measures of fiscal responsibility and control of expenses. The fiscal situation of government remains critical and requires immediate attention to control spending and invest in the necessary areas with a view to fostering economic growth. “This Order states that this government is committed to maintaining expenditure control measures while we are responsible with the resources of the village,” Governor Pierluisi Urrutia said. The Executive Order maintains the tax control compliance requirements set out above, but does not increase them so that the agencies can function.
Executive Order 2021-04 prohibits spending on official photos of the governor and agency heads in government facilities. “Our administration is going to reflect the priorities of our people, so there is no need to be publishing and investing money from the village in official frames and photos,” he argued.
Finally, Executive Orders 2021-05 and 2021-06 establish the structure and organizational chart of the Office of the Governor and appoint Carme Salgado as administrator of the Office of the Governor, respectively.
It was also reported that the current Executive Order to prevent coronavirus infections will remain in force and that the changes will take place from 8 January.