Rep. Raul Grijalva, (D-AZ), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, delayed the second day of hearings on Puerto Rico’s political status to allow the Department of Justice (DOJ) to clarify the constitutionality and feasibility of the two bills being considered. The Department of Justice has responded to the request, and Grijalva has released the… Read more »

The 2022 budget submitted by the White House Office of Budget and Management promises improvements for the U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. President’s Budget Message The document begins with the President’s Budget Message, which Mr. Biden presented to Congress earlier this month. “Where we choose to invest speaks to what we value as a Nation,”… Read more »

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a second day of hearings on Puerto Rico’s status on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, according to El Nuevo Dia. The first day of hearings pitted HR 1522, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act, against HR 2070, the AOC-Velazquez bill proposing a constitutional convention for Puerto Rico. Witnesses at… Read more »

President Biden issued a statement today emphasizing his support for Puerto Rico parity within the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program despite the fact that the Department of Justice will file a brief today in support of the federal law that excludes Puerto Rico from SSI. “I believe that Puerto Rico residents should be able to… Read more »

Puerto Rico is unique among the states and territories of the U.S. in that the average income for women is higher than that of men: women’s median income is 103% of men’s. Women make up 45% of the workforce in Puerto Rico, according to a report in Caribbean Business. Women in the U.S. as a… Read more »

Puerto Rico has a strong tradition in literature, both among people living on the Island and those who moved to the States. The long list of notable writers who found their success in New York provides an excellent counterargument to those who worry that becoming a State would suppress the culture of Puerto Rico. Julia… Read more »

People from Puerto Rico have won a number of recent elections for a wide range of positions, but so far there has never been a State governor who was born in Puerto Rico. That could change.  Nellie Gorbea, the current Rhode Island Secretary of State, is running for Governor of Rhode Island. Gorbea is also… Read more »

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which was enacted into law in April, will ultimately provide Puerto Rico with over $10 billion to respond to the immediate economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. An infusion of this amount of funding in an economy with a $70 billion GNP is quite significant, and these new resources… Read more »

The 64th Annual Puerto Rican National Parade will be virtual again this year.  Organizers have announced a two-hour television special to air live on June 13, at 12 noon Eastern time, in celebration of the parade, which traditionally heads up 5th Avenue with 75,000 marchers and more than one million spectators. WABC-TV anchors Joe Torres… Read more »

Congress is putting a lot of energy into voting rights. Yet the legally certified, democratic vote conducted in Puerto Rico in November 2020 is being ignored. Voters’ rights Following the dramatic 2020 election, state legislatures across the country are introducing changes to their election procedures. Both New York and New Jersey are implementing automatic voter… Read more »