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Monday, August 9, 2010

Pierluisi Opens New District Office

New Facility Will Offer Improved Access to the Public

San Juan, Puerto Rico- The office of the Resident Commissioner in Washington has moved its district office to a new facility in the Medicina Tropical building in Puerta de Tierra. This location will make the district office more accessible to public officials and the general public.

The new facility was inaugurated at an event attended by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Governor Luis Fortuño, and Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, along with representatives of the federal government on the Island and representatives of the Puerto Rico government. Also present was the family of Jorge Luis Córdova Díaz, who served as Resident Commissioner from 1969 to 1972.

The Resident Commissioner’s district office is charged with numerous responsibilities that benefit Puerto Rico. In addition to regularly providing information on a variety of topics to the Island’s residents, office staff offer guidance to constituents who need assistance interfacing with federal government agencies like the Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Veterans Affairs he Centers for Medicare and Medicaid such as Social Security and Medicare, Immigration Services, and Veterans’ Affairs. In addition, office personnel conduct meetings with federal, state, and municipal officials in order to strengthen the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.

For many years, the Resident Commissioner’s district office was located in the Department of State’s building in Old San Juan. About nine years ago, due to limited space at this location, the office was relocated to a private facility located on Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan.

Recently, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz took the initiative to establish a permanent site for the Resident Commissioner’s district office within the Capitol complex.

“Because the Resident Commissioner is Puerto Rico’s only representative in the U.S. Congress, it is important that the Resident Commissioner’s office have the location and space necessary to effectively provide services to our people. The actions taken by the President of the Senate could not have come at a more opportune time,” Pierluisi said.

The new office is a tribute to all the public servants who have served as Resident Commissioner since the establishment of the position in 1900, beginning with Federico Degetau.

“The people of Puerto Rico were electing their representative to Congress long before they were able to elect their own Governor. However, nowhere on the Island is the work of these public servants properly recognized,” Pierluisi said.

The main reception room in the new district office will carry the name of Jorge Luis Córdova Díaz, thanks to a concurrent resolution passed by the Puerto Rico legislature under the leadership of House Speaker Jenniffer González and Senate President Rivera Schatz.

Córdova Díaz served as Resident Commissioner from 1969 to 1972, and was the son of Félix Córdova Dávila, who also served as Resident Commissioner. Córdova Díaz, a native of Manatí, was educated at several prominent universities in the United States, and served as a judge on the Superior Court of San Juan from 1940 to 1945 and on the Puerto Rico Supreme Court from 1945 to 1946. His most significant accomplishment in Congress was successfully leading the fight to enable to territory delegates to vote and obtain leadership positions on House committees. These privileges have proven very beneficial to all subsequent Resident Commissioners.

“It is only proper that we recognize his work, along with the work of my predecessors, in this new district office. This office belongs to the people, and its doors will always be open to attend to the needs of all Puerto Ricans,” Pierluisi said.