Issues

Puerto Rico’s Renewal

The summer of 2019 witnessed a masterful demonstration of civic engagement by the people of Puerto Rico. When accusations of corruption, misconduct, and deceit threatened to tarnish the island’s reputation, the people of Puerto Rico —both home and abroad— took to the streets peacefully to clean house and show the world that civility and honesty can prevail in the face of daunting political challenges.

Oversight That Works

Puerto Rico’s protracted economic depression — and the draconian measures implemented to combat the resulting fiscal imbalances — have eroded the island’s government capacity to perform at all levels and created fertile ground for unscrupulous actors to engage in fraudulent behavior.  Severe austerity programs implemented since 2006 have led to: drastic budget cuts in numerous key agencies, high employee turnover, low morale amongst public servants and limited resources across the board.

Federal Disaster Funding Update for Puerto Rico

Recently, there has been a heated debate about whether Puerto Rico has been treated fairly by the federal government in the allocation of funds for disaster assistance in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The answer to this question is complicated because it depends in large measure in understanding (1) how the federal appropriations process works and (2) how the different kinds of assistance programs function.

Blueprint Initiative works with Global Expert on Post Disaster Planning and Reconstruction

Blueprint, the CNE Growth Commission housing and land initiative, continues to provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and information through a series of public gatherings and events. There is a need to broaden the discussion about housing in Puerto Rico in the post-disaster period, including issues pertaining to safe and durable housing; Blueprint achieves this by bringing together various sectors in collaborative efforts.

El presente y futuro de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica

El 9 de junio de 2019, el director de polĂ­tica pĂșblica de CNE Sergio M. Marxuach participĂł como invitado en el programa radial La Voz del Centro con Ángel Collado Schwarz. Marxuach explica cĂłmo la AEE ha llegado hasta su crisis actual y describe los retos que le esperan al sector energĂ©tico en Puerto Rico.

El claroscuro de la AEE

El diccionario de la Real Academia Española provee cuatro definiciones para la palabra claroscuro. Dos de Ă©stas son particularmente relevantes para describir la realidad de la Autoridad de EnergĂ­a ElĂ©ctrica (la “AEE”), en general, y el Acuerdo de ReestructuraciĂłn de la Deuda de esa agencia con un grupo de bonistas (“RSA” por sus siglas en inglĂ©s), en especifico. De acuerdo con el diccionario, claroscuro puede referirse a: (1) una “distribuciĂłn muy acusada de la luz y de las sombras de un cuadro”; o (2) un “conjunto de rasgos contradictorios de una persona, de una situaciĂłn o de una cosa.”

Shortchanging the Territories in Medicaid Funding

An expansionist outlook of American leaders in the late 1800s led the United States to acquire possessions outside of the contiguous land that we still refer to as “the mainland.” However, other than designing military strategies that would provide the U.S. a geopolitical advantage, little thought was given to how these territories would be governed.

CNE Analyzes the New PREPA Restructuring Support Agreement: It is Worse Than You Think

On May 3, 2019, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (“PREPA”), the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (“AAFAF”), and the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (the “FOMB”), executed a “Definitive Restructuring Support Agreement” (the “RSA”), with the members of the Ad Hoc Group of PREPA Bondholders (the “Ad Hoc Group”), and Assured Guaranty Corp. and Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. (collectively, “Assured”), for the restructuring of a portion of certain bonds issued by PREPA.