[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 16, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE COMMUNITY DRIVEN RECOVERY FOR PUERTO RICO ACT

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                     HON. JESUS G. ``CHUY'' GARCIA

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 16, 2020

  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Community Driven Recovery for Puerto Rico Act along with my colleague 
from New York, Adriano Espaillat. This bill strengthens transparency 
and local oversight of federal recovery efforts in Puerto Rico by 
establishing a Civil Society Task Force to ensure that Puerto Ricans 
have a seat at the table in decisions about recovery efforts.
  More than three years since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the 
island is still devastated and Puerto Rican voices have been shut out 
of the federal recovery process. The Civil Society Task Force 
established by this bill will represent different sectors of Puerto 
Rican society including community organizations, unions, nonprofits and 
small businesses. The Task Force will be embedded within federal 
recovery agencies to ensure that the Puerto Rican community's ideas and 
concerns are incorporated into the recovery process.
  The federal recovery effort in Puerto Rico has been removed from the 
people of the island for too long, and this bill provides an important 
mechanism to bridge that gap and enhance the accountability, 
transparency and credibility of the process. I urge this body to 
advance this bill.

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