Written Testimony Submitted to the United States Commission on Civil Rights
Written Testimony by Sergio M. Marxuach submitted to the United States Commission on Civil Rights on December 10, 2021.
Issues
Investing in Ourselves: Post-Secondary Education for a Sustainable and Equitable Recovery
Young people need hope for the future and opportunities to prosper, and they are not finding them in Puerto Rico. We need to reconstruct our island by rebuilding our middle class and creating opportunities.
Housing Reconstruction Monitoring Dashboard
The Housing Reconstruction Monitoring Dashboard is an interactive and dynamic tool that provides detailed data, at the municipal level, on housing damages and reconstruction investments related to Hurricanes Irma and María.
Puerto Rico: Highlights of the Build Back Better Bill
There is a lot of activity going on in Washington, D.C. these days. Back in August, the Senate approved a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. That bill, however, has been on hold in the House, as Democrats negotiated amongst themselves the contents of the Build Back Better (“BBB”) bill. We are still combing through the text, but to keep you informed, we wanted to share some of the key points in the BBB bill regarding Puerto Rico as of today.
A Short History of the Demise of Puerto Rico’s Electric System
The recent outages of Puerto Rico’s electric system have generated plenty of uninformed debate. That situation prompted us to go through the archives and look up the Official Statements for PREPA’s last two bond offerings, dated April 12, 2012 and August 15, 2013, respectively. These documents contain a wealth of data and information about Puerto Rico’s electricity system.
The Short Memory of the Masters of Disaster
Recently, we have been hearing some unreasonably rosy statements about how well the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority used to work. That is why I looked up the Official Statements for PREPA’s last two bond offerings, dated April 12, 2012, and August 15, 2013. These documents contain a wealth of data and information about Puerto Rico’s electricity system.
Standing Up for Puerto Rico in Washington, D.C.
In a short three years, CNE has not only elevated and persuaded Congress and the Executive to more adequately address Puerto Rico’s challenges, but it has achieved substantial changes in federal law.
The Threefold Challenge to the Puerto Rican Economy
The Puerto Rican economy is simultaneously recovering from three systemic shocks: the COVID-19 pandemic, the considerable damage inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the upcoming creditor’s vote on the Plan of Adjustment negotiated by the FOMB.