The Puerto Rico Fair Internships Act, Act No. 114-2022 (Act 114), seeks to protect students and recent graduates by guaranteeing paid internships and establishing other legal rights for interns.
The law follows one passed in September 2022 to expand coverage under Puerto Rico’s sexual harassment law to paid and unpaid interns.
Act 114 requires that students and individuals who graduated less than a year prior receive compensation of at least the local or federal minimum pay, whichever is greater, for internships and similar arrangements, such as assistantships, labor practices and research experiences (collectively, “internships”).
This applies to both private and public sector programs that offer a learning experience and work for high school or higher education students or for graduates within one year of graduation that comply with the following characteristics:
Ten or more hours per week;
For a period defined prior to the internship’s commencement;
Interns have a direct supervisor;
Interns are evaluated mid-program and at the end of the program with actions taken to help in the intern’s improvement;
Includes an educational and mentoring component related to skills, networking, and professional development.
Excluded from the law’s compensation requirements are: (1) programs for the purpose of complying with a graduation requirement or are offered in exchange for university credits; (2) volunteer experiences, as defined in the law; (3) programs where the...
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