Posts Categorized: Top Stories

Puerto Rico Report Top 10 Stories of 2015

The Puerto Rico Report strives to cover all the news about Puerto Rico’s status. In 2015, the most popular stories covered many different aspects of this issue. Is Puerto Rico Part of the U.S.? The fact that this story is one of the most popular of the year shows that people continue to be confused…. Read more »

Speaker Ryan Pledges to Resolve Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Crisis by March 31st

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan late this afternoon said that he was “instructing” House committees to “work with the Puerto Rican government to come up with a responsible solution” to “Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis” by March 31st. As first reported in the Hill, Ryan made it clear that this would not include broad authority… Read more »

Senate Proposal Calls for U.S. Control in Puerto Rico

Two bills to resolve the financial problems of Puerto Rico were introduced by Republicans in the U.S. Congress yesterday. The legislative proposals were introduced after Senate Republicans blocked a move by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) to grant the territory the authority of a State to enable insolvent instrumentalities to restructure debts under Federal Bankruptcy Code Chapter… Read more »

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Puerto Rico’s Bankruptcy Appeal

On December 4, 2015, the United States Supreme Court issued an order granting a request by Puerto Rico and representatives of Puerto Rico’s Government Development Bank (“GDB”) for appellate review of the lower court rulings finding Puerto Rico’s Recovery Act to be unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico had ruled that the law was… Read more »

U.S. Congressional Committee Holds 5th Puerto Rico-Related Hearing of 2015

The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), held a hearing today on the fiscal problems plaguing the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The hearing was called to order by Chairman Grassley who expressed in his opening statement hope that the committee would “have a valuable discussion based on facts,… Read more »

U.S. Supreme Court Continues to Examine Puerto Rico’s Recovery Act

Breaking News: On November 30, 2015, the United States Supreme Court added Puerto Rico’s Recovery Act appeal to the list of cases it will discuss in a private conference on December 4, 2015. A decision on Puerto Rico’s petition for a writ of certiorari is now expected on December 7, 2015. The Supreme Court previously… Read more »

Senate Committee to Examine Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Problems

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced yesterday that he will convene a hearing on on Tuesday, Dec. 1 to examine the source of and possible solutions to Puerto Rico’s fiscal situation. In a statement, Grassley said that his goal is to help committee members and the public identify and gain a better understanding of the… Read more »

Ben Carson Endorses Statehood for Puerto Rico

Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson visited Puerto Rico on Sunday and gave unambiguous support to statehood for Puerto Rico. At a rally of roughly 3,500 people, Carson cited the patriotism of Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million U.S. citizens and said, “You have paid your dues.” Carson left no possible uncertainty about his position on statehood for Puerto Rico…. Read more »

Menendez Leads Senate in Introducing Tax Legislation to Help Puerto Rico

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has introduced the “Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit Equity for Puerto Rico Act,” which would extend the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to all eligible families in Puerto Rico. The initiative is similar to a proposal introduced by the Obama administration… Read more »