Senate of Puerto Rico

The Senate of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico.

The structure and responsibilities of the Senate are defined in Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico which vests all legislative power in the Legislative Assembly. Every bill must be passed by both the Senate and the House and then signed by the Governor of Puerto Rico in order to become law.

The Senate has exclusive power to try and to decide impeachments. The constitution also establishes that all secretaries appointed by the governor to the different executive departments, as well as all judges and the Comptroller, require the advice and consent of the Senate. Justices of the Supreme Court can not assume office until after confirmation by the Senate.

The Senate has 27 members. Sixteen are elected from senatorial districts, with two senators per district, while an additional 11 are elected at-large.

The Senate has been meeting since 1917, after the enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act established the body formally. The current session is the 27th Senate of Puerto Rico, which has a majority from the Popular Democratic Party, giving the party control over the Senate without political opposition including constitutional amendments.

The Senate, along with its members and staff, are housed in the eastern half of the Capitol of Puerto Rico. These buildings are usually the Rafael Martínez Nadal Senate Annex Building, the Luis Muñoz Marín Office Building, the Antonio R. Barceló Building, the Luis A. Ferré Building, the Ramón Mellado Parsons Office Building and the Baltasar Corrada del Rio Office Building.