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 $2.5 million.

Key claims and agency fixes: Reyes Serrano said the agency lacked a mechanized inventory and sufficient procurement staff on arrival. She pledged to implement digital accounting and purchasing systems, establish a monitoring unit for federal funds, preserve one purchases officer position and use contracted specialists to fill immediate gaps. On federal oversight, she acknowledged prior federal concerns — including a HUD Office of Inspector General memorandum referenced by senators about past administrative weaknesses — and said the agency is pursuing corrective measures to restore federal confidence.

Titles, the fideicomiso and legislation: Senators sought clarity on property titles and assets funded by the perpetual fideicomiso for Comunidades Especiales. Reyes Serrano said many assets remain registered in other agencies, complicating transfers; she expressed support for Senate Bill 190 (referred to during the hearing) to expedite statutory transfers of assets into the fideicomiso so the trust can issue titles. She described an interagency plan to use Department of Housing procedures (title-clearance mechanisms) to issue at least 700 property titles by the first quarter of 2023 where documentation permits.

Programs and spending: Reyes Serrano described programs the office leads or supports: the Blue Roof initiative (about $2 million invested to date to replace hurricane-damaged roofs), community reinsertion visits and infrastructure projects planned across the 78 municipalities at an estimated $25 million. She said a 'Comunidad Digital' $5 million proposal would create community technology centers in partnership with the telecommunications office, and that OCEC intends to adopt video remote interpreting (VRI) to serve the deaf community.

Oversight requests and unanswered records: Several senators — including Rubén Soto, Ramón Ruiz Nieves and others — pressed for documents: the agency’s list of contracts (including expired investigator contracts), inventory of properties, a breakdown of regional directors and salaries, audit reports and the preliminary results of investigations begun under prior administrations. The commission ordered OCEC to provide many of the requested records within five business days. Reyes Serrano acknowledged incomplete records in some cases (for example, documents remaining at the Department of Housing) but agreed to compile and submit the files.

Personnel and conflict concerns: Senators raised public concerns that some appointees might be connected to the nominee’s prior work; Reyes Serrano denied employing family members at OCEC and defended hiring experienced colleagues from previous public-service roles. She emphasized an intent to separate political affiliation from agency duties and said staff choices were based on experience and operational need.

Next steps: The hearing concluded at 4:01 p.m. with no formal vote recorded in the transcript. Senators requested follow-up documents and preliminary reports; the agency said it will deliver audited financial statements for the fideicomiso (FY2018 already available, FY2019 and FY2020 in preparation) and will continue work to digitalize operations and strengthen monitoring of federal funds.

Ending: The commission set multiple five-business-day deadlines for records requested during the hearing; further oversight steps and any confirmation vote will depend on the information provided and subsequent committee review.