| Office | President of the Puerto Rico Senate |
|---|---|
| Term start | January 2, 2025 |
| Predecessor | José Luis Dalmau |
| Term start 1 | January 2, 2017 |
| Term end 1 | January 2, 2021 |
| Predecessor 1 | Eduardo Bhatia |
| Successor 1 | José Luis Dalmau |
| Term start 2 | January 2, 2009 |
| Term end 2 | January 2, 2013 |
| Predecessor 2 | Kenneth McClintock |
| Successor 2 | Eduardo Bhatia |
| Office 3 | Minority Leader of the Puerto Rico Senate |
| Term start 3 | January 2, 2021 |
| Term end 3 | January 2, 2025 |
| Predecessor 3 | Eduardo Bhatia |
| Successor 3 | Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz |
| Office 4 | Chair of the New Progressive Party |
| Status 4 | Acting |
| Term start 4 | July 22, 2019 |
| Term end 4 | August 16, 2020 |
| Predecessor 4 | Ricardo Rosselló |
| Successor 4 | Pedro Pierluisi |
| Office 5 | Member of the Puerto Rico Senate from the at-large district |
| Term start 5 | January 2, 2009 |
| Birth date | June 10, 1966 (age 60) |
| Birth place | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Party | New Progressive |
| Other party | Republican |
| Relatives | José Rivera Díaz (father) |
| Education | Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (BA, JD) |
Thomas Rivera Schatz (born June 10, 1966), also known by his initials TRS, is a Puerto Rican politician, legal advisor, attorney, and former prosecutor, who was the fourteenth, sixteenth and is currently the eighteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (abbr. PNP in Spanish) and the USA's Republican Party.
His tenure as president of the senate has been marred with multiple scandals regarding ghost employees on the payroll of his office,[1] and the conviction of several of his closest colleagues and subordinates on corruption charges, including Héctor Martínez Maldonado, José Gómez Zaldo, Juan Carlos Acosta Ramírez, Alex Emille Martínez Morales, among others.[2][3]
Early life and studies
Rivera Schatz was born on June 10, 1966, in the Bronx Borough of New York City. He is the son of José A. "Nía" Rivera, a past mayor of Trujillo Alto, and Christina Schatz, a German woman.[4] While in college, he worked full-time at the City of San Juan Public Works Department. He attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law, where he graduated in 1992. A year later, he passed the bar exam required to practice law in Puerto Rico.[5]
Rivera Schatz started his legal career as a legal advisor in the Senate and House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. In 1996, Governor Pedro Rosselló appointed him as a prosecutor at the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. After finishing his service as a prosecutor, he returned to private practice, handling both criminal and civil cases.
Political career
Electoral Commissioner and Secretary General: 2000–2007
In 2000, Rivera Schatz was named Electoral Commissioner for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP).
Two years later, party president Pedro Rosselló named Rivera Schatz as secretary general of the PNP in addition to his current position as electoral commissioner. He served both positions simultaneously until August 1, 2007, when he decided to run for senator.
Senator: 2008–present
Rivera Schatz ran for senator at the PNP primaries where he won a slot in the ballot, receiving the second-most votes. In the 2008 general elections, Rivera Schatz was elected senator. His fellow senators then elected him to be the 14th president of Puerto Rico's Senate. As such, he selected the following persons for his team:
- Senator Margarita Nolasco as Senate President Pro tempore
- Senator Larry Seilhamer as majority leader
- Senator Melinda Romero as Majority Whip
- Roberto "Junior" Maldonado as chief administrative officer of the Senate.
- Senate Secretary Manuel A. Torres was nominated by Rivera Schatz and reelected to a second term, becoming the first Senate secretary to serve under two different Senate Presidents
- Incumbent Superintendent of the Capitol, Eliezer Velázquez, was nominated by Rivera Schatz and ratified by House Speaker Jenniffer González for a second term, a first for a superintendent.
Rivera Schatz was sworn into his post on January 12, 2009.
Thomas Rivera Schatz was reelected in 2012 and elected for the third time as a member of the Senate majority in the 2016 election with 10.33% of the "at large" votes, placing him in second place after independent senatorial candidate Dr. José Vargas Vidot and followed by Juan Dalmau of the Puerto Rico Independence Party (PIP).[6] Rivera Schatz was elected to a second term as President of the Senate of Puerto Rico starting January 2017.[7] He holds two records, first as the only reelected Senate President during the past 28 years and the only Senate President ever elected as such to non-consecutive terms. On November 5, 2024, he was elected President of the Senate for a third non-consecutive term.[8]
PNP President
On July 22, 2019, Rivera Schatz announced he would succeed Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló as head of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP).[9] Rosselló announced his intention to resign due to the ongoing controversy surrounding Telegramgate.[10]
Personal life
Rivera Schatz and his father collect antique cars, [11][12] and are fans of the New York Yankees.
References
- ^ Primera Hora (13 September 2019). "Federales citan a Thomas Rivera Schatz por caso de contratistas fantasmas en el Capitolio" [Federal authorities summon Thomas Rivera Schatz in Capitol Hill ghost contractors case] (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ Primera Hora (30 January 2012). "Cabecilla de organización deja solo a ex empleado senatorial" [Organization leader leaves former Senate employee alone] (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ NotiCel (7 March 2025). "Apelativo sostiene sentencias a convictos por corrupción en Superintendencia del Capitolio" [Appeals court upholds sentences for those convicted of corruption in the Capitol Superintendence] (in Spanish). NotiCel. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ^ "El Vocero de Puerto Rico". Issuu.com. 13 May 2012.
- ^ "Hon. THOMAS RIVERA SCHATZ". 2009-08-29. Archived 2009-08-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "CEE Event". 2016-11-10. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Thomas Rivera Schatz regresa a la presidencia del Senado". Univision.com. 9 November 2016.
- ^ "Thomas Rivera Schatz será el nuevo presidente del Senado". Elnuevodia.com. 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Thomas Rivera Schatz se autoproclama presidente del PNP". Primera Hora. July 22, 2019.
- ^ Tacopino, Joe (2019-07-21). "Puerto Rico governor will not seek reelection amid texting scandal". New York Post. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
- ^ Rivera Schatz "quema la fiebre" en Pennsylvania on El Nuevo Día; Rosario, Frances (October 2, 2010)
- ^ Detras del político Archived 2013-12-06 at the Wayback Machine on El Vocero; Méndez, Milly (February 11, 2011)
External links
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