Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon spoke in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 25th in honor of Colonel Angel Flores-Vellido, a native Puerto Rican who died last week. “For over a hundred years, the soldiers from Puerto Rico have proved themselves second to none in battle, side by side with their comrades from… Read more »
A group of Senators and Members of the House sent a letter to Deanne Criswell and Robert Fentor of FEMA, urging FEMA to make sure that $9.6 billion in FEMA funding be spent on renewable energy by PREPA, Puerto Rico’s electrical utility. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chair… Read more »
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi declared In a recent interview that Congress has a responsibility to settle Puerto Rico’s status. He also said that he knows a new admissions bill for Puerto Rico will be introduced in Congress, perhaps within the next month. Senator Richard Blumenthal(D-CT) appears to have listened to the Governor of Puerto… Read more »
Manufacturing jobs in Puerto Rico have been on the decline since the beginning of the 21st century. The chart below, from Federal Reserve Economic Data, shows the slide from 1994 to 2018. The nadir was in 2017, after Hurricane Maria’s devastation of the Island. You can see a bit of an uptick as 2019 begins…. Read more »
The new COVID-19 relief bill being debated in Congress this week includes support for the Earned Income Tax Credit in Puerto Rico. The Earned Income Tax Credit The Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, is a credit on income tax that is designed to encourage low-income people to work. It provides an annual tax credit… Read more »
The latest COVID-19 relief bill continues to make its way through Congress. The proposal is expected to be signed into law by President Biden by mid-March. Among the many provisions in the bill is a change in tax credits for Puerto Rico. If the bill passes, Island residents will be eligible for the Earned Income… Read more »
The Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing last week called, “Road to Recovery: Ramping Up COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing, and Medical Supply Chain.” The opening statement from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) pointed out the problems in the U.S. medical supply chain that have come to light during the pandemic…. Read more »
In a referendum held on November 2020, 52.52% of Puerto Rico’s voters selected statehood as their preferred status, while a minority (47.48%) of voters indicated that they would be in favor of any other option for Puerto Rico’s future. The ballot choice was simply yes or no to statehood, and there was no ambiguity about… Read more »
For decades, Puerto Rico voters have been promised things that can’t be delivered. The 2020 plebiscite offered a choice between statehood, a clear possibility under the U.S. constitution, and not having statehood, which is also possible in the form of continued territory status or independence. Enhanced commonwealth But there is continued discussion of other options… Read more »
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) recently tweeted remarks she made in the U.S. House of Representatives about the status of Puerto Rico, a territory belonging to the United States. Representing a state that is home to more than one million people from Puerto Rico, Murphy’s representation of her constituents requires her to be aware of Puerto… Read more »
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