Under the leadership of Governor Luis G. Fortuño, Puerto Rico is working to overcome a recession that began a full two years before it started in the rest of the country. Governor Fortuño is taking action on multiple fronts to restore fiscal discipline and improve the Island’s economy. As the primary liaison between Governor Fortuño’s Administration and the U.S. federal government, the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) is committed to promoting Governor Fortuño’s public policy initiatives, improving the island’s participation in federal programs and advocating on behalf of Puerto Rico to provide a better quality of life for the nearly 4 million U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico.
Below are some of the federal issues in which PRFAA is advancing the interests of the Government and people of Puerto Rico:
Economic Development
After a lost decade and five years of recession, Puerto Rico’s economy is already showing signs of stabilization and recovery, due in large part to Governor Fortuño’s efforts to put the fiscal house in order, correct the size of government and spur private sector growth. At the federal level, in addition to protecting Puerto Rico’s access to the Rum Cover-Over Tax provisions, PRFAA continues to advocate for legislation which would ensure fair access for island residents in federal programs such as the Supplemental Security Income Benefit, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Grant, Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. To foster economic growth, PRFAA continues to work for the expansion of Enterprise Zone legislation which would allow companies to benefit from incentives designed to encourage investment and job creation on the island. PRFAA’s commitment to ensuring Puerto Rico’s fair participation in federal funding programs and tax incentives is vital to the island’s short and long term economic progress.
For more information, please contact Jorge A. Lima, Strategic Policy Advisor, at jlima@prfaa.com.
Education
Governor Fortuño believes in the value of education and the importance of providing every citizen the opportunity to gain the knowledge and values necessary to develop their personal potential and professional capacity. To further this objective, PRFAA works with federal partners to improve education in Puerto Rico at all levels: primary, secondary and post-secondary. With the Obama Administration and Congress set to address the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act this upcoming session, PRFAA is working diligently to secure fair and equitable benefits for Puerto Rico in order to support the progress of the island’s education system.
For more information, please contact Jorge A. Lima, Strategic Policy Advisor, at jlima@prfaa.com.
Energy & Environment
One of the key goals of the Fortuño administration is the creation of a comprehensive energy policy for Puerto Rico that looks to reduce costs, diversify sources, and encourage the use of cleaner energy. Some of the Governor’s major initiatives in this area include creation of a renewable portfolio standard that requires 15% of the island’s energy to be produced by 2020 and the establishment of a green energy fund in which the Government of Puerto Rico expects to co-invest approximately $290 million in renewable energy projects over the next 10 years. Through the “Via Verde Initiative”, the Government of Puerto Rico is working with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to retrofit many of the island’s generation plants from diesel and bunker fuels to natural gas, which is cleaner, cheaper and more efficient. The “Via Verde Initiative” also involves the construction of a natural gas pipeline which will carry fuel from the south to the north of the island in an environmentally sensitive and safe manner. Once completed, Via Verde is expected to save Puerto Rico approximately $1 billion per year in energy costs.
Complementing the Governor’s energy agenda on the island, PRFAA works closely with Puerto Rico officials to implement the approximately $100 million in funding that Puerto Rico received for weatherization, state energy funding, and other programs promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy on the island. PRFAA is also working with the Departments of State, Energy and other federal agencies to identify funding sources for underwater transmission lines that could interconnect Puerto Rico’s power grid to the U.S. Virgin Islands and other islands in the Caribbean. In addition, PRFAA continues to coordinate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others to find funding for the cleanups of Vieques and Culebra. Throughout the 112st Congress, PRFAA will work diligently with the House and Senate to ensure that Puerto Rico's interests are represented in any major piece of energy legislation that may emerge.
For more information, please contact Colleen Newman, Strategic Policy Advisor, at cnewman@prfaa.com.
Health Care
As the national health care debate continues to unfold, Governor Fortuño’s objective to reduce and eliminate the disparity between Puerto Rico and the states in federal health care programs like Medicaid and Medicare remains the same. During the adoption of the federal health care reform of 2010, Governor Fortuño and PRFAA successfully fought to reduce these disparities and close the gap between Puerto Rico’s Medicaid funding with that of the rest of the country. Though still below state-level treatment, Puerto Rico’s advancement and increased flexibility in the new health care law allowed for the establishment of the island’s new integrated health care program, Mi Salud.
For more information, please contact Tiffany Watkins, Governmental Affairs Director, at twatkins@prfaa.com.
Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs
Our nation’s security and fighting for the equal benefits of all U.S. military veterans residing in Puerto Rico are top priorities for Governor Fortuño. With PRFAA’s assistance, the Fortuño Administration has engaged in a strong advocacy effort to make federal law enforcement officials aware of the particular challenges and needs that Puerto Rico is confronting in the areas of safety and security. In 2010 Governor Fortuño was appointed by the President to serve on the Council of Governors, a forum in which ten selected governors consult with federal defense and homeland security leaders on issues regarding the National Guard, homeland defense, military support to civil authorities and the integration of state and federal military activities. PRFAA has supported the Governor’s participation in the Council by working hand in hand with the Puerto Rico National Guard to advance the island’s priorities in the spheres of national defense and homeland security.
By working to improve communication and cooperation with federal authorities PRFAA has also helped Governor Fortuño identify and pursue key opportunities such as the proposed Border Facilitation Pilot Program through which Puerto Rico and the Department of Homeland Security are working together to seek the reestablishment of the in-transit lounge at Luis Marin Muñoz Airport. The success of the program would not only provide an economic boost to Puerto Rico but could also serve as an example for the reestablishment of a nationwide in-transit lounge program.
Despite Puerto Rico’s disproportionate contribution to our nation’s defense, the island’s military men and women face certain disparities, particularly in that they do not qualify for TRICARE Prime health benefits – the gold standard of care for our military around the country. PRFAA and the Fortuño Administration continue to advocate for a change in policy from the U.S. Department of Defense and for legislation that would compel the availability of TRICARE Prime benefits to all eligible veterans residing on the island.
For more information, please contact George Laws, Strategic Policy Advisor, at glaws@prfaa.com.
Status
Home to nearly 4 million Americans, Puerto Rico has been a United States territory for 113 years and its residents U.S. citizens since 1917. Still, the island’s residents cannot vote for the president and vice-president of the United States and are only represented in Congress by a sole resident commissioner who can only vote in committees of the U.S. House. They are also treated unequally in major federal programs. Despite joining the American family over a century ago, Puerto Ricans have never expressed their views on the island’s political status in a vote sponsored by Congress. In April 2010, a bill to provide for plebiscites in Puerto Rico on status preference questions passed the U.S. House by a margin of 223-169. The Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499) provided for periodic plebiscites on the island’s current status. If a majority in one of these plebiscites voted against the status quo, the bill provided for a plebiscite among all of the territory’s status options: the current status; U.S. statehood; independence; and nationhood in a free association with the U.S. The U.S. Senate did not act on the bill, but its Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on it and Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and ranking minority member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote President Obama in December 2010 agreeing that the bill identified all of Puerto Rico’s status options.
For more information on Puerto Rico’s status issue and background on H.R. 2499, click here.
Transportation
A sound system of transportation and infrastructure is the backbone to a solid economy. The Fortuño Administration is working diligently to secure the necessary resources and expertise to develop a well-planned transportation system for Puerto Rico that is efficient, integrated and intermodal. Through an ongoing pursuit of federal assistance opportunities, PRFAA is committed to assisting Governor Fortuño in providing Puerto Rico with an improved transportation system which will encourage economic growth and provide for a better quality of life for all Puerto Ricans.
For more information, please contact Jorge Lima, Strategic Policy Advisor, at jlima@prfaa.com.
