Statement of Jenniffer González-Colón to Senator Marco Rubio reintroduction of Legislation to Increase Wages, Expand Opportunity in Puerto Rico

January 5, 2017

Washington D.C.- "I greatly appreciate my friend Senator Rubio's initiative. We need to make work in Puerto Rico pay better - a living wage - for those in jobs that now pay the least. This would improve the economy and help local businesses as well as improve the lives of many of our families.

Sen. Rubio's bill is one of four major ideas for doing this that were discussed in the last Congress. One was extending payments to workers based on Social Security taxes to workers in Puerto Rico with one child or two children, as in the States, and not just to those with those with three or more children -- second-class status treatment. The PROMESA Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico recommended this, and I will sponsor legislation for it.

Another idea was temporarily cutting Social Security taxes in the territories. The fourth idea was extending Earned Income Credit payments to workers in Puerto Rico, as in the States. The Congressional Task Force recommended further consideration of this idea, which Governor Rosselló and I have advocated, along with equality in the Child Credit. I will also be pursuing extension of what is called the refundable portion of the Earned Income Credit.

I look forward to working with Sen. Rubio and the other Members of this Congress who served on the Task Force on these proposals."