Nominee Zaira Maldonado defends OATRH handling of AEE mobility; senators demand documents and data

Zaira A. Maldonado Molina, nominee to lead the Oficina de Administración y Transformación de los Recursos Humanos (OATRH), told the Senate Commission of Appointments on May 25 that her office has led the "largest mobility plan" under Law 8 (2017) to reassign more than 4,000 employees affected by the Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica—s (AEE) transition to Luma Energy. She acknowledged errors in individual placements, repeated that salary protections remain in force for employees who remain in government, and agreed to provide several documents senators requested.

Why it matters: Senators focused on whether the OATRH had the information and tools needed to manage rapid transfers without unfair placements or loss of pay. The hearing addressed how OATRH handled classification equivalencies, how many employees were working remotely, the office—s staffing and budget constraints, and whether mistakes in placements have been corrected.

Maldonado outlined her background and the agency—s mandate under Ley núm. 8 de 2017 to centralize classification and retribution plans. She said the office currently employs 69 staff with an approved FY2020–21 budget of $4.3 million, of which $2.7 million is for payroll, and that the compensation plan is under review by the Financial Oversight Board and will be phased in upon approval. She described training activity under an alliance with the University of Puerto Rico (Alí UPR), reporting 52 training sessions reaching 1,169 participants since January 2021.

On the AEE mobility, Maldonado said the OATRH conducted equivalence studies to map AEE positions to government classes and, where no class existed, relied on academic preparation and professional licenses to place employees. She acknowledged placement mistakes and said roughly 141 specific cases had been corrected after review. She also reported that roughly 600 employees had resigned by the previous week after receiving mobility notices and that more than 4,100 mobilization letters had been issued.

In response to the commission—s questions about basic workforce numbers, Maldonado cited agency returns to a telework memorandum and reported a total government workforce of 113,659 employees; she told senators she would submit the underlying telework data in writing within five business days. She also agreed to deliver all contracts awarded since January 2021 to the commission within five business days, after a senator requested that package of documents.

Maldonado acknowledged a significant technology gap: OATRH lacks a centralized Human Capital Management (HCM) system, so many processes are handled with manual records. "No está. O sea, que eso se hace ahora con papel," she said, and added that the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS) is preparing a request for proposals to procure a system and that a procurement process would open in the coming weeks.

The nominee defended the office—s work as required by law, described corrections made where placements were wrong, and repeatedly emphasized that employees who remain in government would not lose their base salary without due process. As she told the commission: "El salario de un empleado público, mientras permanezca en gobierno, está garantizado." Senators asked for and received commitments to provide written data and contracts; the commission recessed for lunch and scheduled the hearing to continue at 1:37 p.m.

What wasn—t decided: The session recorded no confirmation vote during the covered period. Senators requested additional records and clarified they will continue oversight. The nominee—s broader plans — including phased implementation of the compensation plan and a proposed central recruitment platform (House Bill 534 referenced in testimony) — remain contingent on external approvals and additional funding.

Quotes from the hearing include the nominee—s acknowledgment of gaps in technology and data and a senator—s criticism of the wider policy choices that created staffing shortages. For example, Senator Anaima Rivera Lazen warned the nominee she is "in the middle of the perfect storm of disaster," while Maldonado responded that the office is working to correct errors and implement systems to modernize human resources management.

Next steps: The commission asked for telework data and contracts to be submitted within five business days and recessed the hearing for lunch; additional oversight and follow-up were scheduled.