Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
Civil acts like marriage licenses, birth certificates, and adoption and divorce decrees, however, are kept in record by the Department of Health of Puerto Rico.In summary, the secretary of state of Puerto Rico is, by law, the chief clerk, the acting governor, and the officer in charge of the commonwealth's foreign relations.Because of these responsibilities, the post is typically occupied by a highly competent individual with some degree of experience, starting with Roberto Sánchez Vilella in 1952.Pedro Rosselló had Secretary of State Norma Burgos serve for several years as chair of the Puerto Rico Planning Board.Aníbal Acevedo Vilá's second secretary of state, Fernando Bonilla, also served as executive director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.Governor Alejandro García Padilla put his first appointee, secretary Bernier in charge of evaluating the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Public-Private Partnership contract and overseeing social agencies, such as the Health, Family Services, Education and Sports and Recreation departments.He has appointed current Secretary Suárez as chairman of his administration's fiscal team, a role he played previously as Chief of Staff to the Governor.