Senate committee hears nominee Tais Reyes Serrano on agency gaps, titles and funding

Tais M. Reyes Serrano, the governor’s designee to lead the Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development (OCEC), told the Senate Commission on Appointments on May 24 that she found operational shortfalls when she assumed leadership in January and outlined steps to fix them.

Reyes Serrano opened her confirmation hearing with a brief biography of 18 years in public service, saying her experience in legislative offices and in commissions for reconstruction and education informed her approach. She told senators the OCEC oversees programs created under the 2001 law for Comunidades Especiales and its 2007 amendment, and that the office serves 756 designated communities and coordinates with roughly 30,000 nonprofit groups.

Why it matters: Senators repeatedly pressed Reyes Serrano on whether the office can safely manage federal funds and deliver infrastructure projects given limited staff and budget. The nominee said OCEC retains roughly 10% of CSBG/CSVG block-grant funds for administration (about 5%) and discretionary projects (about 5%), while the eligible entities receive the remainder. Her office’s operational budget, she said, is…