Puerto Rico Senate
| Puerto Rico Senate | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type: | Bicameral |
| Term limits: | None |
| Website: | Official Senate site |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 27+ |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Article III, Puerto Rico Constitution |
| Salary: | $73,775/year |
| Elections | |
| Last election: | November 5, 2024 |
| Next election: | November 7, 2028 |
Meeting place: | |
The Puerto Rico Senate is the upper chamber of the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly. Alongside the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Puerto Rico government and works alongside the governor of Puerto Rico to create laws.
Article III, Section 2 of the Puerto Rico Constitution provides that the Puerto Rico Senate shall be composed of 27 senators, except in accordance with Section 7.[1]
Section 7 stipulates that if one political party wins at least two-thirds of the seats in a general election, the number of total senators can increase by up to but not more than nine members. Additional senators are elected from the minority party or parties, first beginning with at-large candidates in order of obtained votes, followed by district candidates who obtained the highest proportion of total votes in their district. Any district candidates elected in this way are considered at large members of the chamber.[2]
In the 2024 general election, the New Progressive Party (PNP) won more than two-thirds of the seats in both the House and Senate putting Article III, Section 7 of the Puerto Rico Constitution into effect, adding additional at-large seats in the House and Senate. These seats will exist through the 2028 general election.
This page contains the following information on the Puerto Rico Senate.
- Which party controls the chamber
- The chamber's current membership
- Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
- Legislative session dates
- A list of standing commissions
Party control
Current partisan control
The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Puerto Rico Senate as of October 2025:
| Party | As of October 2025 |
| Popular Democratic Party (PPD) | 5 |
| New Progressive Party (PNP) | 19 |
| Citizen Victory Movement | 0 |
| Puerto Rican Independence (PIP) | 2 |
| Project Dignity | 1 |
| Independent | 1 |
| Vacant | 0 |
| Total | 28 |
Members
There are 28 members of the Senate, including 16 members representing 8 districts, 11 members that are elected at large, and one at-large member as a result of Article 111, Section 7 of the Puerto Rico Constitution. Click here for a list of current senators.
Out of the members that represent individual districts, each member represents an average of 205,367 citizens, as of the 2020 Census.[3]
Leadership
The Senate president is the highest-ranking official and the presiding officer of the Senate. Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico establishes that the Senate will elect a president from among its members.[4] Duties of the president include naming all permanent and special commissions of the Senate, convening special sessions of the Senate, and voting in all matters presented in the Senate, among other responsibilities.[5]
The president pro tempore is the Senate's second-highest ranking official.[5]
Leadership and members
- Senate president: Thomas Rivera Schatz (PNP)
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2023, members of the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly received an annual salary of $73,775. However, the Vice Presidents of each House received $84,841, the Presidents of each Chamber received $110,663, the Speakers of all political parties received $84,841, and the Presidents of the Finance and Government Committees of the Senate and House received $84,841[6]
Swearing in dates
Puerto Rico legislators assume office on the second day of January immediately following the date of the general election in which they were elected.[7]
Membership qualifications
Members of the Senate are required to read and write in the Spanish or English language. He or she must be a citizen of the United States and of Puerto Rico, and must reside in Puerto Rico for at least 2 years prior to the date of the election or appointment. A member must be at least 30 years of age. Candidates for election or appointment as representatives of a district must also reside in that district for at least 1 year immediately prior to an election or appointment.[8]
Term limits
Elected officials are not subjected to term limits.
Elections
Elections by year
Puerto Rico senators serve four-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. Puerto Rico holds elections for its legislature in even years.
2024
- See also: Puerto Rico Senate elections, 2024
Elections for the office of Puerto Rico Senate took place in 2024. The general election was held on November 3, 2024. The primary was June 2, 2024. Candidates had to submit 50% of their signatures by January 31, 2024, and 100% of their signatures by February 15, 2024.
2022
A special election for Puerto Rico Senate District 1 was called for September 11, 2022. The candidate filing deadline was July 15, 2022.[9]
2020
- See also: Puerto Rico Senate elections, 2020
Elections for the office of Puerto Rico Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 9, 2020. The filing deadline was December 30, 2019.
Heading into the election, the New Progressive Party (PNP) held 21 seats, the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) held seven seats, the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) held one seat, and there was one independent member.
The New Progressive Party lost eight seats in the 2020 election. After the 2020 election, the Popular Democratic Party held 13 seats, the New Progressive Party held nine seats, the Citizen Victory Movement Party held two seats, the Puerto Rican Independence Party held one seat, the Project Dignity Party held one seat, and there was one independent member.
| Puerto Rico Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2020 | After November 4, 2020 | |
| Popular Democratic Party (PPD) | 7 | 13 | |
| New Progressive Party (PNP) | 21 | 9 | |
| Citizen Victory Movement (MVC) | 0 | 2 | |
| Puerto Rican Independence (PIP) | 1 | 1 | |
| Project Dignity (PD) | 0 | 1 | |
| Independent | 1 | 1 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 27 | |
Vacancies
Prior to the 15 months preceding the date of a general election, if a vacancy occurs in the Senate, the governor must call a special election in the particular district within 30 days following the vacancy. The election must occur no later than 90 days after the governor's call, and the person elected will hold office for the rest of the unexpired term of his or her predecessor.[10]
Sessions
Article III, Section 10 of the Puerto Rico Constitution stipulates that the duration of regular sessions are to be prescribed by law.[11]
The Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly convenes in regular sessions on the second Monday in January.[11] The Legislative Assembly is considered a continuous body during the term for which its members are elected, and the periods of time for the introduction and consideration of bills are prescribed by law.[11]
The governor of Puerto Rico can call the Legislative Assembly into a special session when the governor judges the public interest requires it.[12] The session may only consider matters specified in the governor's call or special message sent to the Assembly by the governor during the session. Special sessions cannot continue longer than 20 calendar days.[11]
Standing commissions
Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.
- Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
- Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
- Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.
Rather than committees, the Puerto Rico Senate has legislative commissions. Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico stipulates that no bill can become law unless it has been printed, read, and referred to a commission and returned with a written report.
Click here for a list of the Senate's current commissions.
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Puerto Rico Senate (in Spanish)
- Puerto Rico Office of Legislative Services (in Spanish)
Footnotes
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article III, Section 2)
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article III, Section 7)
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quick Fact Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article III, Section 9)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Puerto Rico Senate, "Reglamento de la Cámara de Representantes del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish)," accessed August 9, 2023
- ↑ lexjuris.com, "Act No. 24 of May 29, 2013," accessed August 9, 2023
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article III, Section 8)
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article III, Section 5 and 6)
- ↑ Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico, "Elección Especial para cubrir la vacante de Senador por el Distrito I (San Juan)," accessed January 9, 2023
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article III, Section 8)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023
- ↑ welcome.topuertorico.org, "Constitution of Puerto Rico," accessed August 9, 2023(Article IV, Section 4)
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