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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Pierluisi Introduces Legislation to Extend Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program to Puerto Rico

Under Current Law, the Island Receives 21 Times Less Funding than the Poorest State

WASHINGTON, DC- Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi introduced legislation today to extend the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to Puerto Rico, as well as to Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The SSI program helps the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the nation, providing monthly cash assistance to blind, disabled or elderly individuals who have limited or no income.

Although SSI applies in all 50 states, it has never applied in Puerto Rico since it was established in the early 1970s. Instead, the federal grant program known as Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD), which preceded the SSI program, continues to apply on the Island. The Social Security Administration sends monthly SSI payments directly to recipients, while the AABD program is administered by the Puerto Rico government with a limited block grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Prior to introducing the legislation, the Supplemental Security Income Equality Act, Pierluisi spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about the bill, stating: “Of all the disparities that Puerto Rico faces because of its territory status, perhaps none is as unprincipled or harmful as its exclusion from SSI.”

“Puerto Rico’s annual block grant is about $35 million. By contrast, the nation’s poorest state, with almost one million fewer residents, received over $740 million in SSI funding in 2010, roughly 21 times more than Puerto Rico,” said Pierluisi.

The Resident Commissioner explained that SSI beneficiaries in the states receive between $400 y $600 per month, while AABD beneficiaries in Puerto Rico receive an average of just $70 a month.

“Residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens. But, when it comes to SSI, their citizenship is second class. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support this bill,” said Pierluisi during his floor speech.

Under the AABD program, the Puerto Rico government must make a 25% “matching” payment in order to receive its federal block grant. Under SSI, by contrast, eligible beneficiaries in the states receive payments directly from the federal government, and there is no state matching requirement.

Over the years, congressional representatives from the territories have introduced about 20 bills to amend federal law to include their constituents in the SSI program. The first delegate to introduce such legislation was then-Resident Commissioner Jaime Benítez, who filed an SSI bill back in 1973. One argument used by opponents of these bills is that territory residents are not required to pay federal income taxes on their local income. However, Pierluisi noted, more than 40 percent of households in the states do not pay federal income taxes, but still receive equal treatment under SSI and other key federal programs.

Pierluisi’s bill is cosponsored by José Serrano (D-NY), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU), Donna Christensen (D-VI), Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS), and Gregorio Kilili Sablan (D-CNMI).

Pierluisi Meets with Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Also today, as part of his ongoing effort to highlight the problem of drug-related violence in Puerto Rico and to press for additional federal resources, Pierluisi met with the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), John Morton. ICE is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

During the meeting, the Resident Commissioner expressed his concern over the level of resources that ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies are devoting to fight drug-related violence in Puerto Rico, insisting that there is a fundamental mismatch between the level of violence in Puerto Rico and the size and scope of the federal response. For example, the Resident Commissioner noted that 15% of ICE positions in Puerto Rico are vacant. Pierluisi also observed that, when he first raised the issue of vacancies with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in mid-2010, ICE had roughly 25% of its authorized positions unfilled. Pierluisi thanked Morton for lowering the vacancy rate to 15% in response to the Resident Commissioner’s outreach, but insisted that much more needed to be done.

Pierluisi also requested Morton’s support for his proposal to establish a Caribbean Border Initiative to address drug trafficking and related violence in the region. The Initiative would be modeled after the successful Southwest Border Initiative, which resulted in the deployment of many DHS officers to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Just as I did last week during my meeting with the Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jane Lute, today I sought ICE’s support for my Caribbean Border Initiative. I also raised asked ICE to assign additional personnel to Puerto Rico on a temporary basis, and to otherwise treat the problem of drug-related violence on the Island with the sense of urgency that it deserves,” said Pierluisi.