August 04,2016

Press Contact:

Aaron Fobes, Julia Lawless (202) 224-4515

Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico Seeks Input on How to Strengthen Territory’s Economy

WASHINGTON — The Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico, which is responsible for identifying impediments to economic growth in the territory and recommending changes, announced it is seeking input from stakeholders.

“As we work in a bipartisan manner to identify what reforms are needed to grow the Puerto Rican economy and promote prosperity on the island, we are interested in stakeholder input,” the Task Force members said in a joint statement. “Information and insights, from both the public and private sectors in Puerto Rico, will be useful to the Task Force as it analyzes impediments to growth on the island stemming from Federal law and programs and arrives at recommendations to remove current barriers to growth.”

Submissions can be made at the Task Force’s mailbox at prtaskforce@mail.house.gov.  The deadline to respond is September 2, 2016.   All submissions will be considered part of the public record and should be clear and concise, directed at the issues that the Task Force is charged to consider, and provided in the form of an attachment to the email (either in Microsoft Word or text-searchable PDF file). The email containing the attachment should clearly indicate the names of the authors, contact information, and any professional affiliation.

Background:


Established by Section 409 of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA), Public Law 114-187, the Task Force is chaired by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and is comprised of U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.); Bill Nelson (D-Fla.); and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) as well as U.S. Representatives Sean Duffy (R-Wis.); Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.); Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.); and Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico).

Under the law, the Task Force is charged with writing a report by December 31, 2016, that identifies impediments to growth and recommends changes to: promote long-term economic growth and stability; spur new job creation; reduce child poverty; and attract investment in the territory. A status update identifying information the Task Force has collected and matters considered to be urgent will be provided to Congress in September.

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