House of Representatives honors Institute of Forensic Sciences on 40th anniversary

The Puerto Rico House of Representatives held a special session on Sept. 4 to recognize the 40th anniversary of the Institute of Forensic Sciences and to honor its leadership and staff for forensic work that supports criminal investigations and court processes.

The chamber’s president, Carlos Johnny Méndez Núñez, and House spokesperson Gustavo Torres Zamora led remarks and formal recognition of the institute and its director, Dr. María Conte Miller. A motions text read in the hemicycle recounted that the Institute was created by Law 13, July 24, 1985, and said that the law was amended by Law 43, July 8, 2025, “with the purpose of optimizing the institute’s functioning and strengthening its capacity to respond to emergencies and urgent needs.” The motion praised the institute’s “celeridad, sensibilidad y profesionalismo” and noted accreditations across scientific divisions.

The ceremony included a roster of institute officials and scientific staff introduced from the floor: Dr. María Conte Miller, director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences; Juan Hernández, subdirector; Dr. Rosa Rodríguez, forensic pathologist; Carmen Zuliveras Ortiz, firearms examiner; Roberto López Arroyo, DNA specialist; Jenny Acevedo González, director of the DNA laboratory; and others from criminalistics, ballistics and administrative units. Lourdes Gómez Torres, secretary of justice, attended the session in representation of Governor Jennifer González Colón and offered brief remarks praising the institute’s evolution and scientific integration into judicial processes.

Speakers from several House delegations praised the institute’s staff and leadership. Gustavo Torres Zamora described the workplace as “un ambiente de trabajo exquisito” and praised the mix of experienced and young professionals. Dr. Conte Miller thanked the House for the recognition and highlighted the institute’s accredited programs, including a forensic pathology training program tied to the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and the institute’s participation in peer-reviewed international forums. She cited specific operational programs used to support investigations, including a firearms-evidence program and other divisional accreditations that the motion said demonstrate adherence to quality standards.

Several representatives emphasized the human side of forensic work, noting the institute’s role in determining causes of death, handling sensitive communications with families and providing scientific evidence for the courts. Representative Jerry Nieves’s committee work was cited during remarks thanking the House for continued institutional support. The record includes repeated references to recent steps toward fiscal and administrative autonomy enacted in 2020 and 2025 and a citation in the motion to the institute’s award recognition (noted in the motion as the Four Side Maximus Award by a professional society of lab directors).

The House closed the special-session segment after presenting the recognition and invited House leaders and the secretary of justice to a commemorative photograph with Dr. Conte Miller. The House then recessed and moved into regular business later that afternoon.

The record of this special session documents the commendation motion and multiple courtesy and substantive remarks by members and guests; it does not record a separate roll-call vote expressly adopting the ceremonial motion beyond the formal reading and presentation included in the session minutes.