The Puerto Rico Ombudsman is a government position created by statute in 1977 during the administration of Governor Carlos Romero Barceló

Carlos Romero Barceló

Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...

 to provide citizens with an office that could receive and investigate complaints regarding the proper functioning of government agencies and the level of service to the public. The Ombudsman

Ombudsman

An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

 is appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico

Governor of Puerto Rico

The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...

 to a ten-year term and requires the advice and consent of both the Senate

Senate of Puerto Rico

The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...

 and the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico

House of Representatives of Puerto Rico

The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico...

. The Ombudsman's salary is equal to that of a Court of Appeals

Court of Appeals

A court of appeals is an appellate court generally.Court of Appeals may refer to:*Military Court of Appeals *Corte d'Assise d'Appello *Philippine Court of Appeals*High Court of Appeals of Turkey*United States courts of appeals...

 judge, currently $105,000 per year.

The current acting Ombudsman, is former Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Services, Kevin Miguel Rivera. His predecessor was former representative Carlos López Nieves. On February 12, 2010, Governor Luis Fortuño

Luis Fortuño

Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...

 appointed representative Iris Miriam Ruiz

Iris Miriam Ruiz

Iris Miriam Ruiz Class is a Puerto Rican politician who served in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and currently holds the office of Ombudswoman....

 to a full term as "Ombudswoman".

Puerto Rico Ombudsmen

• Rafael Adolfo De Castro
• Carlos López Nieves
• Kevin Miguel Rivera (acting)
• Iris Miriam Ruiz
  Iris Miriam Ruiz
  Iris Miriam Ruiz Class is a Puerto Rican politician who served in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and currently holds the office of Ombudswoman....
  
  (designate)