Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) has reintroduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives calling for a convention in Puerto Rico with federal involvement to evaluate the issue of the U.S. territory’s political status. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is the lead sponsor of the companion bill in the U.S. Senate. The proposal, which is silent on… Read more »
U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ron Wyden (D-OR.), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Puerto Rico Admission Act, a Senate companion bill for H.R. 1522, in the Senate last week. What’s a companion bill? For any bill to become law, it must be approved by the House and the Senate. Sometimes the… Read more »
With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) finished his long fight for equitable treatment for Puerto Rico in the federal Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Chairman Neal has worked toward this goal for years, and the passage of the American Rescue Plan,… Read more »
The American Rescue Plan dedicates unprecedented resources to the five territories of the U.S. and also includes some assistance to the three former territory areas freely associated with the U.S. Under the terms of the new law, U.S. territories receive much more generous economic assistance than the freely associated states (FAS) to address the health… Read more »
Puerto Rico faces another Medicaid Cliff this fall. Because Puerto Rico is consistently underfunded for Medicaid, the territory once again faces a Medicaid cliff — the territory will run out of funding for medical care on September 30th, 2021, if no additional funds are provided. Because Puerto Rico is not included in the federal Medicaid… Read more »
La Borinqueña is a Puerto Rican superhero created by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. She has been the central character in a series of self-published graphic novels, including La Borinqueña and Ricanstruction. Now, through connections on Twitter, Miranda-Rodriguez is working with other artists to get a live action series on Netflix. La Borinqueña is a traditional superhero in many ways…. Read more »
Stacey Plaskett is the representative of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the U.S. Congress. Just like Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Plaskett is able to introduce legislation but has limited voting rights. Plaskett just became a member of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, which makes federal laws covering tax, trade… Read more »
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit decided last year that residents of Puerto Rico should be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) just as residents of the 50 States are. But SSI benefits are not yet flowing to Puerto Ricans. The Trump administration filed an appeal, and the Supreme Court recently… Read more »
In a press conference on March 2nd, Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) and Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR) announced the introduction of a new admissions bill for Puerto Rico. “Our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico have again declared their desire for statehood, and Congress must follow suit. Today, along with Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, I’m proud to introduce… Read more »
Miguel Cardona has been confirmed as the United States Secretary of Education. Cardona, was born in Meriden, Connecticut, and grew up in a housing project there. His parents came to Connecticut from Puerto Rico as children, and his grandfather was a tobacco farmer. He stayed in his home community and became an elementary school teacher and… Read more »
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