Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón takes up Puerto Rico’s recovery-related agenda in the 118h Congress

San Juan, Puerto Rico-  – Puerto Rico’s sole representative in Congress, Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón, introduced legislation to reduce bureaucracy in post-disaster assistance and reconstruction requirements from federal agencies, expedite access to resources during disaster emergencies in Puerto Rico and other U.S. jurisdictions, and strengthen services from nonprofit organizations for  communities in need. 

 

The House recently passed two bills sponsored by Congresswoman González-Colón to promote transparency and improve the disaster recovery process following natural disasters. 

 

“I am proud to have helped secure historic allocations of federal disaster recovery funds for Puerto Rico to support ongoing rebuilding efforts. The recovery process for disasters like these, and others that include seismic events, is never easy. Still, we must consider lessons learned to prevent delays and speed up the recovery process in Puerto Rico and across the country. My proposals seek to improve the federal government’s response to disasters, especially as natural disasters have become more threatening and prevalent across the United States,” said Congresswoman González-Colón.

 

Congresswoman González-Colón has introduced H.R. 601, which seeks to amend the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) by: 1) amending the guidance on how multicomponent systems and facilities are evaluated for rebuilding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) program, 2) codifying the use of locally licensed professionals to conduct inspections, and 3) ensuring timely reimbursement for providers, suppliers, and contractors, as nonprofits and NGOs. 

 

These provisions include flexibilities for cost-share payments made by non-FEMA entities for projects under PA with the ongoing disaster recoveries in Puerto Rico and the USVI by establishing a global match or global cost share process.  This would allow the use of different funding sources to cover the non-Federal cost-share when the same obligation covers multiple individual projects. Subrecipients could use other funds to cover some of those projects, and others to be fully covered by FEMA, up to covering the share of the total, rather than having to apply the match share for each individual project site. 

 

H.R. 601 will also amend Section 20601 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA) to require the reconstruction of critical facilities or systems under PA to be up to current standards, without regard to the pre-disaster condition. 

 

Similarly, González-Colón introduced H.R. 718, which amends the BBA to expand the definition of critical services to cover solid waste management, stormwater management, public housing, transportation infrastructure, and other non-emergency medical care. This will allow these essential components of Puerto Rico and USVI to be repaired to current standards. 

 

Currently, when there is a major disaster the “Buy American” provisions under 41 USC Chapter 83, which requires the federal government to buy American–made iron, steel, and manufactured goods, do not apply to any of the 50 states. However, this exception does not apply to Puerto Rico, the rest of the U.S. territories, or the District of Columbia. Congresswoman Jenniffer González introduced H.R 600 to correct this disparity and allow these U.S. jurisdictions to obtain resources from the fastest or most effective source for the sake of protecting lives and property during emergencies, without the need for an agency-issued waiver. 

 

González-Colón also introduced H.R. 787, which seeks to improve the ability of nonprofits to accommodate federal grant requirements by reducing their cost-share portion by 25% for a period of 5 years if the organization is a direct recipient of the federal grant and is located in a jurisdiction that has more than 20% of its population living below the poverty level.

 

“The need to strengthen the capacity of nonprofits to provide services became much more apparent in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, and most recently Hurricane Fiona in 2022. These organizations worked closely with communities during the emergency period and ultimately contributed to the island’s ongoing recovery,” said Congresswoman Jenniffer González. 

 

Puerto Rico has over 11,000 nonprofit organizations. Aside from providing services, these organizations generate close to 151,000 jobs, which translates to over $2 billion in payroll and salaries.

 

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