Editing Government of Puerto Rico (section)

==Executive branch==
{{Main article|Executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico}}

The executive branch is responsible for administering public resources, as well as providing all necessary public services to the Puerto Rican general public. It is by far the largest branch in the government as well as the largest employer in Puerto Rico with more than 150,000 workers.

===Governor===
{{Main article|Governor of Puerto Rico}}
{{See also|List of governors of Puerto Rico}}

The [[head of government]] is the Governor of Puerto Rico, who is elected every four years in a general election. The position is similar in nature, responsibility, and power as those of a [[Governor#United States|governor of a U.S. state]]. The position of Governor has the overall responsibility of the state of the commonwealth, equivalent to the state of the union in the U.S. The official residence of the governor is [[La Fortaleza]], the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere.

The Governor has the authority to nominate agency heads, trial and appellate [[judge]]s, as well as Supreme Court [[justice]]s and directors of public corporations, although these must be confirmed by the Senate and, in a handful of cases, the House, as well. Similar to a U.S. State, the Governor has authority over the Puerto Rico National Guard.

Although Puerto Rico does not have the position of [[Lieutenant Governor]], sections 7 and 8 of the Constitution empower the Secretary of the Puerto Rico State Department to act as Acting Governor, should the governor be absent from Puerto Rico, become temporarily disabled or unable to discharge his/her duties, and as Governor for the remainder of the term should a permanent vacancy occur.

===Lieutenant governor===
Puerto Rico does not have a post for [[lieutenant governor]] but it has a [[Secretary of State of Puerto Rico|Secretary of State]] which performs a similar role. The Secretary of State is the successor of the Governor and is empowered to act as [[acting governor]]&mdash; the [[Constitution of Puerto Rico]] and [[Puerto Rican law]] establishes a [[Puerto Rico governmental line of succession|governmental line of succession]] starting with the [[Secretary of State of Puerto Rico|Secretary of State]].

===Acting Governor===
{{Main article|Secretary of State of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico governmental line of succession}}

[[Article Four of the Constitution of Puerto Rico|Article IV]] of the [[Constitution of Puerto Rico]] establishes that the [[Secretary of State of Puerto Rico|Secretary of State]] should serve as [[acting governor]] when the Governor is not available. The [[Constitution of Puerto Rico|Constitution]] and [[Puerto Rican law]] establishes a [[Puerto Rico governmental line of succession|governmental line of succession]] for special cases when neither the Governor nor the Secretary are available.

===Cabinet===
{{Main article|Cabinet of Puerto Rico}}

[[Article Four of the Constitution of Puerto Rico|Article IV]] of the [[Constitution of Puerto Rico]] establishes that the Governor shall be assisted by [[Minister (government)|Secretaries]] who shall collectively constitute the Governor's [[Adviser|advisory council]] and be designated as the ''Council of Secretaries'' although it's mostly referred to as the ''Cabinet''.

The Cabinet is composed by the '''Constitutional Cabinet''', composed by the Secretaries established by the Constitution, and the '''Operational Cabinet''', composed by the Secretaries established by extraconstitutional [[Puerto Rican law]] or appointed by the Governor. These Cabinets do not exist as agencies, but are referred as such in transcripts, records, official documents, and conversations for brevity and easiness.

All Cabinet members are nominated by the [[Governor of Puerto Rico|Governor]] and then presented to the [[Senate of Puerto Rico|Senate]] for [[advice and consent]] by a [[Majority|simple majority]]. If they are approved, they are sworn in and then begin their duties. All members receive the title of ''Secretary''.

Members of the Cabinet serve at the pleasure of the Governor, who may dismiss them or reappoint them (to other posts) at will.

===Executive departments===
{{Main article|Executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico}}
[[File:Puerto Rico State Department.JPG|250px|thumbnail|right|The main offices of the [[Puerto Rico Department of State]] in front of [[Plaza de Armas, San Juan|Plaza de Armas]] in [[Old San Juan]].]]

The day-to-day enforcement and administration of laws is delegated by the Governor to 16 [[Executive Departments of the Government of Puerto Rico|executive departments]] created by the Constitution or by statute to deal with specific areas of government. The heads of the departments, chosen by the governor and approved by the Senate (with the exception of the Secretary of State, who requires Senate and House confirmation), form a council of advisers generally known as the Governor's Cabinet.

The Constitution provides for the creation of at least 8 departments: Departments of [[Puerto Rico Department of State|State]], [[Puerto Rico Department of Justice|Justice]], [[Puerto Rico Department of Education|Education]], [[Puerto Rico Department of Health|Health]], [[Puerto Rico Department of Treasury|Treasury]], [[Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources|Labor]], [[Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico|Agriculture]], [[Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce|Commerce]], and [[Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works|Public Works]]. However, due to the increase in population, economy, and public needs over the years, the Puerto Rico government has expanded the executive branch by establishing additional executive departments not specified in the Constitution. These additional departments are established by public law or so-called "reorganization plans", as approved by the legislative assembly.

The title of [[Secretary]] is given to the heads of the executive departments, whose position is also created by statute. Cabinet member is another title primarily given by the media and the public, though it is considered unofficial. All cabinet-level Secretaries are first nominated by the Governor and are confirmed by the legislative assembly.

Each department has different [[division (organization)|division]]s, [[Government agency|agencies]], [[Government agency|bureaus]], [[office]]s, and [[Public services|service]]s, each with specific duties, in order to provide the necessary services to the general public across the island.

===Government-owned corporations===
{{Main|List of government-owned corporations of Puerto Rico}}

Puerto Rico has also established several government-owned corporations in order to provide basic and public services to its citizens, including electricity, water, transportation, and education, among others. These are separate legal entities from the Commonwealth, but the government owns virtually all of these corporations' [[stock]]. Each corporation is headed by an executive director who is appointed by the corporations’ [[Board of Directors]]. The directors are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the state legislative assembly.

Although government-owned corporations are separate from the commonwealth government, who generate their income and expenses independently, several of those have faced financial troubles, and have constantly relied on so called “bail-outs” from the commonwealth to offset recurring losses and deficits, and have been unable to [[Puerto Rican government-debt crisis#Bankruptcy|legally declare bankruptcy]].