(H. B. 553) (No. 89-2013) (Approved July 29, 2013) AN ACT To designate the new Road PR-3108 in the City of Mayagüez with the name of the illustrious Puerto Rican Juan Mari-Bras; and for other purposes. STATEMENT OF MOTIVES Don Juan Mari-Bras, the only child of Santiago Mari-Ramos and Mercedes Bras-Grana, was born on December 2, 1927, in La Salud Ward of the City of Mayagüez. At scarcely fifteen years old, his political beliefs were already clear and defined, so in his teenage years he founded the Capítulo de Agregados Pro Independencia (CAPI), together with his fellow high school students in Mayagüez. In 1943, he established and directed the radio show Gritos de la Patria, the first pro-independence radio news magazine. In 1944, he presided the Juventud Independentista Puertorriqueña, an organization that grouped several student organizations of the time. That same year, he enrolled in the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico, and immediately became a member of the Sociedad Independentista Universitaria (SIU), which he presided from 1945 to 1946. He was also editor-in-chief of the university newspaper La Torre and wrote for El Imparcial, the Puerto Rico Ilustrado weekly newspaper, and El Universitario. In 1946, he was one of the founders of the Puerto Rican Independence Party.
2 As a university student in 1947, don Juan played a leading role in raising the Puerto Rican flag at the University of Puerto Rico, which was prohibited in the Island. The flag was raised in response to the refusal of don Jaime Benítez, Dean of the University, to allow don Pedro Albizu-Campos to deliver a lecture in said institution. The acts resulted in the university strike of 1948. For this, don Juan was expelled from the university. In 1949, Mari-Bras was admitted to Florida Southern College, where he finished a Bachelor s Degree. From 1951 to 1954, he lived in Washington, D.C., where he pursued studies in political science and law, first at George Washington University, where he was persecuted for his political beliefs and expelled in 1950 following the attack on Blair House. He obtained his degree from American University and returned to the Island with his family. In 1958, after having passed the Bar Exam, he worked for the Puerto Rico Legal Aid Society. He was one of the founders of the Pro-Independence Movement (MPI) in 1959, and together with César Andreu-Iglesias, a labor union leader and reporter, founded the weekly Claridad. Subsequently, he ran for Governor under the Puerto Rican Socialist Party ticket in 1976. In 1973, attorney Mari-Bras became the first independence advocate to appear before the United Nations to address the colonial status of the Island. In 1994, the same year in which he underwent surgery for heart disease, his great zeal drove him to appear before the United States Embassy in Venezuela to renounce his U.S. citizenship. In September 2007, he received the first certificate of Puerto Rican Citizenship granted in Puerto Rico from then Secretary of State Fernando Bonilla.
3 At the Bar Association, don Juan was a member of several commissions and earned countless recognitions, as well as the respect of his colleagues. He was also recognized by the Pen Club, the National Law Student Association, and the Institute of Puerto Rican Literature. As a trial lawyer, he was responsible for several judicial controversies that set a precedent in Puerto Rican constitutional law, and which are currently course requirements in all the law schools of the Island. Among these are Mari Bras v. Casañas, 96 D.P.R 15 (1968) and Mari Bras v. Alcaide, 100 D.P.R. 506 (1972). Both cases address issues on the right to freedom of political speech; in PSP v. ELA, 107 D.P.R. 590 (1978), he challenged the appropriation of public funds for presidential primaries; and in PSP v. CEE, 110 D.P.R. 400 (1908)[sic], he interpreted the intention of the voter when making a mark in the electoral ballot. However, one of his most important contributions to Puerto Rican constitutional history was what he called his juridical experiment following his renouncement to the U.S. citizenship: Ramírez de Ferrer v. Mari Bras, 144 D.P.R. 141 (1997). In said case, the existence of a Puerto Rican citizenship was recognized upon the validation of Puerto Rican citizen Juan Mari-Bras the right to vote even after having renounced his U.S. citizenship. In 1995, he co-founded the Eugenio María de Hostos Law School in Mayagüez, where he was a professor. In 2006, he was appointed Eugenio María de Hostos Honorary Professor of the University of Puerto Rico, institution from which he was expelled in his youth. This distinction honors renowned Hostos researchers and scholars, and for the first time it was bestowed upon a person not affiliated to the University of Puerto Rico. He also taught at the Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean San Juan and Mayagüez Campuses, and at the School of Social Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico. He was the author of
4 countless essays, articles, and at least 10 publications. For his outstanding public Act No. 54 protects speaking skills he was invited to lecture at different universities in Puerto Rico, the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Don Juan s contributions to Puerto Rico in numerous aspects of our society are undeniable. If it is indeed true that Mari-Bras is best known for his active participation in Puerto Rican politics, it is also true that his contribution to national contemporary life was even greater. His contribution to the arts, journalism, academia, and constitutional development of our Island make don Juan a beloved and admired man by persons of all ideologies in Puerto Rican politics. In view of all the contributions made by don Juan to modern-day Puerto Rico in all the fields in which he was involved, he is undoubtedly deserving of all honors bestowed upon illustrious men and women. The least that this Legislative Assembly can do is recognize the value of this Puerto Rican citizen, and in his honor, designate the new Road PR-3108 in his birthplace Mayagüez as Juan Mari-Bras Avenue. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PUERTO RICO: Section 1. The new Road PR-3108, which runs from Road PR-2 up to the intersection with Road PR-108 in Miradero Ward of Mayagüez, is hereby named Juan Mari-Bras Avenue. Section 2. The Public Structures and Highways Naming Commission of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Department of Transportation and Public Works, and the Highways and Transportation Authority shall take the necessary measures to comply with the provisions of this Act without being subject to the provisions of Act No. 99 of June 22, 1961, as amended. Section 3. This Act shall take effect immediately after its approval.
5 CERTIFICATION I hereby certify to the Secretary of State that the following Act No. 89-2013 (H. B. 553) of the 1 st Regular Session of the 17 th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico: AN ACT to designate the new Road PR-3108 in the City of Mayagüez with the name of the illustrious Puerto Rican Juan Mari-Bras; and for other purposes. has been translated from Spanish to English and that the English version is correct. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, on this 28 th day of March, 2017. Roger J. Iglesias-Sepúlveda, Esq. Director