PUERTO RICO, COMMONWEALTH OF

Bills and resolutions

Armed Forces: ensure certain TRICARE beneficiaries who reside in Puerto Rico may enroll in TRICARE Prime (see H.R. 2171), H3216 [9AP]

Commission on Civil Rights: establish advisory committees for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa (see H.R. 4068), H7467 [25JY]

Conflict of interests: require disclosure of connections to debtors, creditors, or parties of interest to debt restructuring by professionals involved in the process of such restructuring (see S. 1675), S3106 [23MY] (see H.R. 683), H719 [17JA]

Courts: authorize appointment of additional district judge and convert to permanent status the temporary office of bankruptcy judge (see H.R. 4522), H8053 [26SE]

Dept. of Agriculture: establish a renewable energy grant program for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and conduct a GAO study on renewable energy efficiency in such territories (see H.R. 2360), H3283 [25AP]

——— provide for participation of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (see S. 677), S1705 [6MR] (see H.R. 1576), H2504 [6MR]

Dept. of Defense: compensate certain residents of Vieques island for use of such island for military readiness (see H.R. 4605), H8094 [4OC]

Dept. of Education: provide that children that have relocated from Puerto Rico to the States are fully considered for purposes of State allotments under English language acquisition grants (see S. 2761), S6333 [31OC] (see H.R. 4943), H8717 [31OC]

Dept. of HUD: provide disaster assistance to States, Puerto Rico, and localities under a Community Development Block Grant Program grant disaster recovery program (see S. 2301), S5108 [25JY] (see H.R. 3702), H5726 [11JY]

Dept. of Transportation: provide Puerto Rico the same exceptions as Alaska relative to foreign air cargo carriers leaving and collecting cargo on their way to or from another U.S. destination (see H.R. 2357), H3283 [25AP]

Dept. of Veterans Affairs: expand Veterans Healing Veterans Medical Access and Scholarship Program to include medical students in predominantly Hispanic-serving medical schools (see H.R. 2308), H3263 [12AP]

Employment: facilitate hiring by employers and increase wages of workers (see S. 6), S19 [3JA]

Medicaid: stabilize in Puerto Rico (see H.R. 3371), H4918 [19JN]

——— strengthen in Puerto Rico (see H.R. 2306), H3263 [12AP]

——— treat Puerto Rico as a State for purposes of calculating the Federal medical assistance percentage (see H.R. 2241), H3254 [10AP]

Medicare: eliminate late enrollment penalties under part B for individuals residing in Puerto Rico if such individuals enroll within 5 years of becoming entitled to benefits under part A (see H.R. 2310), H3264 [12AP]

——— make premium and cost-sharing subsidies available to low-income part D beneficiaries residing in Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories (see S. 3029), S7026 [12DE] (see H.R. 4195), H7511 [20AU]

——— provide for temporary stabilization of Medicare Advantage payments following Hurricane Maria (see H.R. 813), H1242 [28JA]

National Commission of the Federal Response to Natural Disasters in Puerto Rico: establish (see S. 23), S19 [3JA] (see H.R. 229), H209 [3JA]

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: exempt health insurance of residents of U.S. territories from annual fee on health insurance providers (see S. 19), S19 [3JA]

SBA: give small business contracting credit for certain small businesses located in U.S. territories (see H.R. 3428), H5037 [21JN]

——— give small business contracting credit for subcontractors that are Puerto Rico businesses (see H.R. 3372), H4918 [19JN]

——— provide contracting assistance for small businesses in Puerto Rico (see H.R. 225), H209 [3JA]

Senate: provide for a nonvoting delegate to represent American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see H.R. 5526), H12290 [19DE]

Ships and vessels: exempt certain noncontiguous trade from the coastwise laws (see H.R. 5500), H12289 [19DE]

65th Infantry Regiment Post Office Building, San Juan, PR: designate (see H.R. 2325), H3270 [15AP]

SSI: extend to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa (see H.R. 947), H1349 [4FE]

States: enable admission as a State (see H.R. 1965), H2915 [28MR] (see H.R. 4901), H8594 [29OC]

Statistics: improve collection and publication (see H.R. 1405), H2270 [27FE]

Taxation: allow accelerated depreciation of certain qualified film and television and live theatrical productions in Puerto Rico (see H.R. 3943), H7376 [24JY]

——— make residents of Puerto Rico eligible for the earned income tax credit (see H.R. 754), H1210 [24JA]

——— provide equitable treatment for residents of Puerto Rico relative to refundable portion of the child tax credit and treat one or two child families the same as those with three or more children (see S. 698), S1733 [7MR] (see H.R. 302), H282 [8JA]

——— provide Federal match for earned income credit expansion for Puerto Rico (see H.R. 2649), H3679 [9MY]

——— provide Federal supplement to, and education and outreach for, earned income credit for U.S. territories (see H.R. 3307), H4770 [18JN]

——— repeal limitation on cover over of distilled spirits taxes to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands and transfer a portion of such cover over to Puerto Rico Conservation Trust Fund (see S. 3101), S7156 [18DE] (see H.R. 1786), H2744 [14MR]

——— repeal limitation on the cover over of distilled spirits taxes to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands (see H.R. 409), H358 [9JA]

——— treat Puerto Rico as part of the U.S. for purposes of determining whether property qualifies for treatment as a like-kind exchange (see H.R. 2309), H3264 [12AP]

Territories: authorize management of Federal submerged lands off of territories for offshore energy, establish offshore wind lease sale requirements, and provide dedicated funding for coral reef conservation (see S. 499), S1382 [14FE] (see H.R. 1014), H1390 [6FE]

——— provide the option of discharging certain unsecured financial obligations, allocate funds to eligible Puerto Rican creditors whose debt was terminated, and audit causes of Puerto Rico’s debt (see S. 1312), S2613 [2MY] (see H.R. 2526), H3447 [3MY]

——— recognize importance of supporting equal rights of citizens, acknowledge that Supreme Court decisions in Insular Cases rest on racist and imperialist assumptions, and reject application of such cases (see H. Res. 641), H8259 [18OC]

Cloture motions

Arias-Marxuach, Raul M.: nomination to be district judge, S2422 [11AP], S2552 [1MY]

Letters

Disaster relief to Puerto Rico for those affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria: Senators Leahy and Schumer, S2018 [27MR]

Reforming Disaster Recovery Act: Representative DeFazio, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (House), H8918 [18NO]

——— Representative Waters, Committee on Financial Services (House), H8919 [18NO]

——— several State governors, H8923 [18NO]

Lists

Supporters of H.R. 3702, Reforming Disaster Recovery Act, H8962 [19NO]

Remarks in House

Arizona: tribute to public service workers who helped restore electricity to Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Maria and Irma, E716 [5JN]

Armed Forces: ensure certain TRICARE beneficiaries who reside in Puerto Rico may enroll in TRICARE Prime (H.R. 2171), H4019 [21MY]

Caño Martín Peña channel: ecosystem restoration funding, H650, H651 [16JA]

Dept. of Agriculture: Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Program funding, H637 [16JA], H2649 [12MR], H4338 [5JN]

Dept. of Defense: importance of counterdrug operations in transit zone and Caribbean basin, H5629 [11JY]

Dept. of HUD: provide disaster assistance to States, Puerto Rico, and localities under a Community Development Block Grant Program grant disaster recovery program (H.R. 3702), H8911, H8914–H8926 [18NO], H8962 [19NO], H9067 [20NO]

Depts. of Justice and HHS: Sexual Assault Services Program and Transitional Housing Assistance Program funding for U.S. territories, H3048, H3049 [3AP]

Disasters: study impact of benefits provided through disaster nutrition assistance, H650 [16JA]

GAO: report to Congress on status of cleanup and decontamination process at former military training facilities in Puerto Rico, H5629 [11JY]

House Rules: permit Delegates and the Resident Commissioner to Congress to cast votes in the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, H29, H30 [3JA]

Hurricanes: provide additional disaster recovery assistance for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, H1530 [13FE], H3350 [1MY], H3688, H3690, H3706 [10MY], H3851 [16MY], H4338 [5JN]

Medicaid: extend Federal medical assistance percentage for Puerto Rico, H9156 [21NO], E1204 [24SE]

Puerto Rican Action Committee: tribute, H9384 [9DE]

Ships and vessels: exempt certain noncontiguous trade from the coastwise laws (H.R. 5500), E1628 [19DE]

65th Infantry Regiment Post Office Building, San Juan, PR: designate (H.R. 2325), H5957, H5958 [17JY]

States: enable admission as a State, H4019 [21MY]

Taxation: provide equitable treatment for residents of Puerto Rico relative to refundable portion of the child tax credit and treat one or two child families the same as those with three or more children (H.R. 302), H234 [8JA]

Trump, President: proposed declaration of a national emergency to obtain funding for construction of a continuous wall or fence along southern U.S. border, H584 [15JA]

Remarks in Senate

Arias-Marxuach, Raul M.: nomination to be district judge, unanimous-consent agreement, S2548 [1MY]

Hurricanes: provide additional disaster recovery assistance for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, S556, S574 [24JA], S2014, S2017–S2020 [27MR], S2068, S2070 [28MR], S2108, S2111, S2161 [1AP], S2163, S2167 [2AP], S2248, S2249 [4AP], S2287 [8AP], S2300 [9AP], S2405 [11AP], S2476 [29AP], S2628 [6MY], S2660 [7MY], S2709 [8MY], S2753 [9MY], S2778 [13MY], S2798 [14MY], S2848 [15MY], S2953 [20MY], S3071 [23MY]

Ocasio, Wilmer: nomination to be U.S. Marshal, S5297 [1AU]

Rossello, Ricardo: resignation as Governor of Puerto Rico, S5076 [25JY]

65th Infantry Regiment Post Office Building, San Juan, PR: designate (H.R. 2325), S6767 [21NO]

Reports filed

Nomination of Raul M. Arias-Marxuach To Be District Judge: Committee on the Judiciary (Senate), S1131 [7FE]

Nomination of Silvia Carreno-Coll To Be District Judge: Committee on the Judiciary (Senate), S6474 [7NO]

Nomination of W. Stephen Muldrow To Be U.S. Attorney: Committee on the Judiciary (Senate), S5602 [19SE]

Nomination of Wilmer Ocasio To Be U.S. Marshal: Committee on the Judiciary (Senate), S4627 [27JN]

Offshore Wind for Territories Act: Committee on Natural Resources (House) (H.R. 1014) (H. Rept. 116–230), H8110 [11OC]

65th Infantry Regiment Post Office Building, San Juan, PR: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Senate) (H.R. 2325), S6474 [7NO]

Statements

Disaster Relief to Puerto Rico for Those Affected by Hurricane Maria: Ricardo Rosselló, Governor of Puerto Rico, S2020 [27MR]

Reforming Disaster Recovery Act: Committee on Financial Services (House), H8923–H8926 [18NO]

Texts of

H.R. 2325, 65th Infantry Regiment Post Office Building, San Juan, PR, H5957 [17JY]

H.R. 3702, Reforming Disaster Recovery Act, H8914–H8917 [18NO]