Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) will be Senate Republicans’ representatives on a bicameral task force charged with coming up with methods to help Puerto Rico emerge from its debt crisis, MorningConsult.com reported on Frday. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative in Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, will represent House Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday appointed the two senators to the task force, which is separate from the fiscal oversight board established by the recently passed law to address the island’s debt crisis. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid announced last week his appointment of Sens. Bill Nelson (Fla.) and Robert Menendez (N.J.) to the task force. President Obama on June 30 signed into law the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, also known as PROMESA. The congressional task force it established is required to complete a report on the causes and possible solutions to the crisis by the end of 2017. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday appointed Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), the bill’s lead sponsor, and Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.). Read more.
For more news and analysis of Puerto Rico's debt crisis, be sure to visit ABI's "Puerto Rico in Distress" webpage.
