political_party: New Progressive Party
Christian Muriel Sánchez
Carmen Medina Calderón
Biography
Carmen Medina Calderón was born on August 18, 1981, in the municipality of San Juan. She was a product of the public school system, where two of her great passions emerged: education and sports. From her early years, she excelled in athletics, particularly in speed and jumping events, as well as in the discipline of Taekwondo, and for her academic work. She participated in the traditional University Athletic League Games for four years, representing the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She earned a Master’s degree in Physical Education from the Metropolitan University of Puerto Rico, Cupey Campus. She also holds another Master’s degree in School Administration and Supervision from Caribbean University, Carolina Campus. She obtained her Doctoral degree from Southeastern University, San Juan Campus, in Educational Technology and Distance Education. Her dissertation, Self-Efficacy of Physical Education Teachers and Its Relationship with Competence in Integrating Technology in the Classroom, was one of the most distinguished at the aforementioned university.
She has worked as a Physical Education Supervisor in the Humacao Educational Region, attached to the Department of Education, where she planned and coordinated academic, sports, and administrative activities for all schools in that region. She also served as a Physical Education teacher at elementary and high school levels and as a School Director III, a role she performed with great success, distinguished by her flexible and detailed organization of all teaching activities in the school.
As an athlete, Medina Calderón has served as a Recreational Leader for the Municipality of Loíza, where he developed activities with recreational associations and institutions that work with special populations, among other activities, to enhance the recreational experience of citizens.
On November 5, 2024, she was elected Representative for District Number 37, which includes the municipalities of Loíza, Río Grande, and Canóvanas. She was appointed to chair the Eastern Region Committee of the House of Representatives.
Sergio Estévez Vélez
María de Lourdes Ramos Rivera
Biography
She was born on August 6 in the town of Juncos. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a concentration in Executive Secretarial. Regarding her work experience, she began working at the Municipality of Juncos as Secretary of the Municipal Assembly. In 1993, she was appointed by Dr. Pedro Rosselló as Commissioner of the Commission on Women’s Affairs, Office of the Governor. On March 26, 1996, she was sworn in as Representative at Large, becoming the first woman from Junqueña to achieve that position, having obtained the highest number of votes on the island.
In 1997, the Municipality of Carolina and the Citizen Action Committee awarded him the “Jesús T. Piñeiro” award. She held the position of Alternate Spokesperson for the New Progressive Party delegation from 2005 to 2008. She has led the Retirement Commission for several four-year terms, defending the rights of the most vulnerable: pensioners and public servants. She chaired other committees such as Women’s Affairs, Veterans Affairs, and Ethics. In January 2017, she became the first woman to serve as Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives. Currently, she continues as a Representative by Accumulation.
José F. Aponte Hernández
Biography
José F. Aponte Hernández was re-elected as a Representative to the House of Representatives in November 2012, this being his fourth four-year term in the Legislative Assembly.
During the Fifteenth Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Among the most important bills he promoted was the new Economic Incentives Act for the Development of Puerto Rico, achieved through consensus with the island’s public and private sectors. This act replaced the previous Tax Incentives Act of 1998 and can be considered the most important piece of legislation of the four-year term, in terms of its impact on our economic development.
Along these same lines, Aponte Hernández, along with the Majority Delegation, filed the Small Business Economic Incentives Act, which provides the necessary incentives to foster the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He also promoted amendments to the Agricultural Incentives Act to expand the group of people eligible for this legislation. Aponte Hernández also promoted the creation of Act 117 of 2008, to include products created by companies that employ blind or severely disabled individuals as part of the Government of Puerto Rico’s preferential purchasing policy.
As part of his government reform proposals, he promoted fiscal reform to reduce government spending; the creation of the Special Cruise Ship Incentive Fund, assigned to the Tourism Company; and the creation of the Porta del Sol Tourist Destination in the western region of the island. He also co-sponsored legislation establishing the Air Charter Incentive Program for Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, to promote the development of western Puerto Rico.
He also promoted the creation of the Sales Tax Fund to establish a financial structure to pay and refinance the Puerto Rican government’s extra-constitutional debt. He also authored the Law Restricting the Use of Credit Cards in the Government of Puerto Rico as a measure of sound fiscal management.
Under his leadership, the House of Representatives implemented the public service campaign “Talk About It, Don’t Swallow It,” which has been an extraordinary initiative to guide citizens on the proper management of depression and personal problems, as a strategy designed to help prevent suicide. Another important public service campaign developed under his presidency was “Raise Our Hands to Pray, Not to Shoot,” to prevent gunfire during the Christmas holidays.
Aponte Hernández has promoted important legislation in the areas of health, education, the environment, and social welfare. Among the bills he filed that became new environmental laws are the Dr. Cruz A. Matos House of Representatives Scholarship for Graduate Studies in Disciplines Related to Environmental Protection and Conservation and the creation of the Special Commission on Global Warming and Security.
He also promoted the creation of the Isamar Malaret Scholarship for graduate and postgraduate students in the field of Special Education. Together with the New Progressive Delegation, he promoted the Law for the Development of Free Internet Access Centers, which will benefit residents of all the island’s municipalities.
In the health field, he created the Special Commission on Mental Health and also promoted amendments to the Mental Health Law to ensure health insurance coverage for the treatment of mental health conditions. He also promoted the law establishing the Puerto Rico Compulsive Gambler Assistance Program. He also established a Registry of People with Diabetes Mellitus within the Department of Health.
In the area of social welfare, he pushed for several four-year terms, eventually passing into law, a bill requiring shopping malls, airports, government centers, sports centers, and public spas to establish assisted or “family” restrooms. He also secured the government’s transfer of physical facilities to a non-profit entity to develop a Service Center for young adults with significant cognitive disabilities.
José Aponte Hernández began his career as a public servant in 1984, working in the Right to Work Administration. The following year, he began working in the House of Representatives as Executive Assistant to his brother, Néstor Aponte, then House Representative for District 33.
In 1993, he embarked on another career path in politics when he was appointed Undersecretary of the New Progressive Party. For a time, he simultaneously served as the party’s Finance Director.
In October 1996, he was appointed interim Secretary General of his party, serving until February 1997, when he was appointed permanent Secretary General, and the appointment made by Party President and Governor Dr. Pedro Rosselló was unanimously ratified by the members of the Party Board. He held that position until June 30, 1999, when he decided to return to public service.
He began his legislative duties in 2000, when he filled the vacancy that arose following the resignation of Representative Néstor Aponte, who was appointed Judge of the Circuit Court of Appeals. At that time, he represented District 33, comprising the municipalities of San Lorenzo, Juncos, Las Piedras, and Gurabo. He has been a Representative at Large since 2005.
The youngest of six siblings, he was born in San Juan on January 19, 1958. His parents, Carlos M. Aponte (RIP) and Néstar M. Hernández, provided him with an education focused on the highest moral values and virtues of character, which inspired him to develop his vocation and commitment to serving others.
He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in 1980 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. That same year, he established his own private practice as a Certified Public Accountant. He later held a management position in a hardware store chain and later ventured into a family business as a gasoline retailer. He belongs to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), where, for his career advocating for human equality, he was appointed to the National Civil Rights Commission. He also served as a distinguished member of the Council of State Governments’ (CSG) Robert Thompson Leadership Academy.
Married to Dr. Aida Ivys Rodríguez Roig, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, he is the father of José Fernando, Adriana Milagros, and Alan Marco. Along with his wife, children, and grandchildren, he shares his passion for spending his free time with his family. His favorite hobbies include planting and growing orchids and fruit trees, and motorcycling.