[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1789-S1790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-184. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislative 
     Assembly of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico requesting the 
     United States Congress to extend the unemployment and the 
     Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits for an 
     additional twenty-six (26) weeks, due to the catastrophic 
     impact of Hurricanes Maria and Irma on Puerto Rico; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                        Concurrent Resolution 50


                          STATEMENT OF MOTIVES

       Only two weeks after Hurricane Irma hit the Island, on 
     September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. The 
     eye of this Category 4 hurricane made landfall in the 
     municipality of Yabucoa.
       Puerto Rico suffered damages estimated in at least ninety 
     billion dollars ($90,000,000,000), and a never-before-seen 
     devastation. The power grid as well as the telecommunications 
     and drinking water systems were down. One month after 
     landfall, a mere eighteen percent (18%) of the population had 
     power service, fifty-nine percent (59%) had 
     telecommunications service, and seventy-three percent (73%) 
     had drinking water service.
       Many businesses have been unable to operate due to the lack 
     of these services. Consequently, a significant number of 
     employees have lost their jobs or their work hours have been 
     reduced considerably.
       Through a contribution based on a percentage of payroll 
     expenses, employers participate in a program where job-
     seeking unemployed persons are able to receive financial 
     assistance and labor advisory from the Government.
       Workers who have been wrongfully discharged may receive the 
     following benefits:
       Unemployment compensation equivalent to a percentage of the 
     salary earned up to one hundred thirty-three dollars 
     ($133.00) a week. Such compensation may be extended for an 
     additional twenty-six (26) weeks, if eligible.
       Job search assistance through their job center locations.
       Furthermore, the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is 
     available for employed and self-employed persons who have 
     been determined not otherwise eligible for regular 
     unemployment insurance benefits. This program provides 
     unemployment benefits to individuals who have become 
     unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster. Just as 
     the unemployment benefit, this assistance is available for 
     twenty-six (26) weeks.
       Hurricanes Irma and Maria have had a major impact on the 
     economy. Countless Puerto Ricans have lost their jobs, either 
     temporarily or permanently. The lines at the regional offices 
     of the Department of Labor are endless.
       Moreover, it has been estimated that more than sixty 
     thousand (60,000) Puerto Ricans have left the Island over the 
     thirty (30) days following Hurricane Maria, forty thousand 
     (40,000) of which have relocated to Florida.
       If the U.S. Congress approves the unemployment benefit 
     extension it will greatly contribute to the recovery of the 
     People of Puerto Rico and prevent many others from making the 
     difficult decision of moving from Puerto Rico.
       This is not the first time that such a request is made. The 
     U.S. Congress approved a similar extension in 2006 after 
     Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck Louisiana and Texas, 
     respectively.
       For all of the foregoing, this Legislative Assembly of 
     Puerto Rico deems it meritorious to request the Congress of 
     the United States of America to extend the unemployment and 
     the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits for an 
     additional twenty-six (26) weeks, due to the catastrophic 
     impact of Hurricanes Maria and Irma on Puerto Rico.
       Be it Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico:
       Section 1--To request the Congress of the United States of 
     America to extend the unemployment and the Disaster 
     Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits for an additional 
     twenty-six (26) weeks, due to the catastrophic impact of 
     Hurricanes Maria and Irma on Puerto Rico.
       Section 2.--It is hereby directed that a copy of this 
     Concurrent Resolution, translated into English, be delivered 
     to the leadership of the Congress of the United States of 
     America, including the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico 
     in Washington, D.C., the President of the United States of 
     America, and the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
       Section 3.--This Concurrent Resolution shall take effect 
     upon its approval.
                                  ____

       POM-185. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislative 
     Assembly of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico urging the United 
     States Government to prioritize, increase, and accelerate the 
     recovery, restoration, and reconstruction efforts of Puerto 
     Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria; to the Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources.

                        Concurrent Resolution 53


                          STATEMENT OF MOTIVES

       On September 20, 2017, the people of Puerto Rico 
     experienced one of the most catastrophic events in its 
     history. The onslaught of Hurricane Maria and the devastation 
     it caused not only resulted in the loss of dozens of lives, 
     but also had a disastrous effect on the basic infrastructure, 
     thus disrupting the economic stability and fraying the social 
     fabric of the Island.
       Thousands of families deprived of their homes, the loss of 
     industries and jobs, the lack of access to essential medical 
     services, and the lack of reliable means of communication, 
     the difficult access to roadways and communities, and the 
     alarming rate of migration to the mainland are just some of 
     the adverse consequences with which the Island is dealing, 
     while experiencing a serious economic recession that has 
     lasted for over a decade. Almost one and a half months later, 
     thousands of students have been unable to return to their 
     classrooms, hundreds of communities continue without water 
     service, and more than half of the Island still has no power. 
     In short, the Island has essentially fallen into a 
     humanitarian crisis.
       Furthermore, the issue caused by the large accumulation of 
     debris that has yet to be removed from the streets and the 
     communities is specifically worth noting. Such debris 
     adversely affects the quality of life of the residents of 
     Puerto Rico. This situation not only constitutes a public 
     safety hazard, but also affects the health of Puerto Ricans, 
     because it promotes the proliferation of pests and mosquito 
     breeding sites due to standing water. According to several 
     experts, as well as the State epidemiologist, we have 
     experienced an increase in the number of Leptospirosis cases 
     and other diseases in many municipalities. In addition, 
     debris affects vehicle traffic, limits accesses, and 
     interferes with recovery efforts.
       At this critical time, we are compelled to find effective 
     solutions to protect life and property.
       Even though the Government of Puerto Rico, its agencies, 
     instrumentalities, and municipalities have made a massive 
     effort in an attempt to solve these issues at the state and 
     local level, it is clear that the restoration and 
     reconstruction of Puerto Rico is a Herculean task that we 
     could not undertake without the intervention of the Federal 
     Government. Now more than ever, the U.S. citizens of Puerto 
     Rico require Federal assistance to set in motion their 
     recovery.
       We recognize that the concerned agencies and the different 
     federal officials have expressed their unwavering commitment 
     to the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico. The truth 
     is, however, that the pace at which works are being carried 
     out is at odds with the needs of the People of Puerto Rico.
       Indeed, on many occasions, local authorities have been 
     compelled to raise a red flag about the adverse effects that 
     the slow pace at which the works contracted with federal 
     entities are being carried out could have. Several mayors of 
     both political parties have resorted to the Executive Branch 
     to increase the resources allocated to debris recovery and 
     the overall reconstruction and recovery efforts being carried 
     out in Puerto Rico. In some instances, the municipal 
     executives have taken on the task to petition the U.S. Army 
     Corps of Engineers directly and have been successful in 
     arriving at agreements for the recovery of demolition and 
     vegetative debris. However, some of these municipal 
     executives have expressed that despite entering into these 
     agreements, the demolition and vegetative debris recovery 
     efforts have yet to begin. Likewise, it was reported that the 
     U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been slow to contract the 
     resources necessary to restore the power grid of the Island 
     as well as to install reinforced blue plastic sheeting to 
     protect the property of those residents who have lost their 
     roofs.
       Once again, we stress that allocating resources, 
     establishing long-term plans, and claiming that essential 
     services shall be restored eventually is not enough. The U.S. 
     citizens residing in Puerto Rico deserve and warrant that 
     their needs be addressed with the same promptness and urgency 
     with which the needs of our fellow citizens have been 
     addressed under similar circumstances. It is not out of sheer 
     convenience that we make this claim, but rather it is based 
     on the most basic rights that the residents of Puerto Rico 
     are entitled to enjoy.
       In light of the foregoing, and with the utmost sense of 
     urgency given the critical time that the U.S. citizens of 
     Puerto Rico are living in, we deemed it necessary to 
     emphatically demand from the Government of the United States 
     of America that the pace with which the recovery and 
     reconstruction works are being carried out in Puerto Rico is 
     increased and accelerated. Time is of the essence.
       Be it resolved by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico:
       Section 1.--To demand from the Government of the United 
     States of America that they prioritize, increase, and 
     accelerate the recovery, restoration, and reconstruction 
     efforts of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
       Section 2.--As part of the efforts, the President shall 
     direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the 
     debris removal efforts in the municipalities of Puerto Rico 
     and reestablish the power grid of the Island, among other 
     matters, including specific instructions on the recovery 
     works that Puerto Rico needs and a work schedule.
       Section 3.--A copy of this Concurrent Resolution, 
     translated into English, shall be delivered to the President 
     of the United States, Donald Trump; the Vice President of the 
     United States and President of the United States Senate, 
     Michael Pence; the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, Paul Ryan; and the Senate Majority Leader, 
     Mitch McConnell.

[[Page S1790]]

       Section 4.--This Concurrent Resolution shall take effect 
     upon its approval.

                          ____________________