Jenniffer González-Colón

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, 4 months after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, 40 percent of our people still lack electricity, with a system barely patched up. Of almost 80,000 homes approved to receive the temporary ``blue roof,'' only half of them have been installed. Those are only two examples. The hurricane season will be back in 5 months, and then we will be required to start all over again. The situation demands extreme urgency from all Federal agencies. What is taking so long? Where is the sense of urgency? This would never be tolerated in any State. The provisions of the Stafford Act limit us to only patching things up. The supplemental disaster appropriations bill addressed this, but it is stalled in the Senate. We expect better. We deserve better. We will work to lift ourselves up, but we need the tools to do so. We expect the Federal agencies to act urgently.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, today, after almost 120 years under the American flag, Puerto Rico remains as a colony of the United States, or under the Territorial Clause, to use the constitutional term. Our residents are subject to a second class citizenship. For all these years, the Federal Government has denied equal rights to all Puerto Ricans who have, in war and peace, made countless contributions to our Nation; who have bravely fought in every conflict since the Great War, defending our democratic values, yet they are being denied the right to vote for their Commander-in-Chief and have full representation in this Congress. A large number of them have made the ultimate sacrifice, and when they do, their casket is flown back, covered in an American flag with 50 stars, and without the one representing them. Puerto Rico has experienced long-standing inequities under Federal laws, which now the whole world has been able to witness firsthand following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. Before that, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have already rejected this discrimination, choosing, instead, to buy their equality with a one-way airline ticket to Florida or simply changing their State ZIP Code. Without the equal rights and responsibilities that are only available through statehood, Puerto Rico will never truly recover and prosper from the hurricane effects. That is the reason we demand and deserve statehood for Puerto Rico now. The islands overwhelmingly voted for statehood in 2012 by a margin of 61 percent, and in June of last year, 97 percent of the islands voted again for statehood. That is the request that brought me here. That is what brings, today, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, House Speaker Johnny Mendez, and all other elected officials from the island who have come here to witness today's historic introduction of the Puerto Rico shadow delegation to this Congress. That delegation will demand that the United States recognize the will of the people of Puerto Rico to become a State. This long-awaited action is in accord with the precedents set forth by the Tennessee Plan, adopted by the territories of Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon, California, Iowa, Kansas, and Alaska, which followed a similar path to eventual admission as States. It is my honor to introduce this delegation of seven members--three Republicans, three Democrats, one Independent, divided into two Senators, five Members to the House--as we become a State. Pedro Rossello, former Governor of Puerto Rico, serves as the chair of the delegation; Carlos Romero Barcelo to the senate, former Governor and a former Member of the house; Luis Fortuno, former Governor and a former Member of this House; Zoraida Fonalledas, Puerto Rico national committeewoman and businesswoman; Charlie Rodriguez, State chairman for the DNC and former senate president; Alfonso Aguilar, president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles; and Ivan ``Pudge'' Rodriguez, a Major League Baseball player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Puerto Rico has come to this House today to claim the American Dream and to fulfill its destiny, to obtain equality within the Nation, and to unleash our full potential. Statehood will make Puerto Rico stronger, but we, together, will make the United States a more perfect Union.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico's economy is the most vital aspect in bringing back some sense of normalcy to the lives of 3.4 million American citizens on the island after the devastating impact of both Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Puerto Rico's economy had already been in a decline prior to these unprecedented natural disasters, due mostly to the island's outdated and discriminatory territorial status. Tax reform presented this Congress with the historic opportunity to, even if only partially, fix these longstanding inequities by granting Puerto Rico equal treatment to that of the 50 States. While we are grateful for the extension of federally qualified opportunity zones in this bill to the island, I believe that there is broad recognition on both sides of the aisle that more needs to be done in the future. Congress must live up to its responsibility and act decisively to end years of improvisation by implementing sustainable pro-growth economic policies that are based upon the bedrock principles of citizen equality and political empower, and my constituents deserve no less.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend, for allowing me actually to speak about what is happening in terms of the USDA--the Department of Agriculture--and all the food programs on the island in terms of disaster, as the gentleman was explaining, how these programs work with the disaster. As we speak, Puerto Rico's still has 60 percent of the island without power. As we speak, less than 20 percent of our island is having actual running water, problems with communications. The first thing people will say is lack of electricity. They will say the lack of a proper home, when you have got more than 60,000 homes that just lost their roof or even are having a lot of damages. So in that regard, the nutritional assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for disaster relief in Puerto Rico has been indispensable; it has been important. Actually, the continuous communication the Government of Puerto Rico is having with the Department of Agriculture has been the first time, I think, during a disaster in this magnitude. We are living the 49th day after the hurricane. To make matters worse, for most of our people, the lack of power and the lack of water is just a fraction of the issues. I mean, we have still got a lot of schools that haven't returned to impart classes. So that means that you have a lot of kids in their homes without going to school, and a lot of several structural damages in the homes, businesses, communities, all around the island. The amount of flooding, roads and bridges that got serious damage or lack functionality is staggering at this time. So the nutritional assistance was a concern since before the hurricanes. I need to say that I appreciate Secretary Perdue having a call with me and different conference calls regarding different programs. First of all, 9 of the 11 programs for disaster in the Department of Agriculture, in terms of the farmers, the territories, will never apply because we are not, in fact, allowed to apply. He made it happen. He used flexibility to allow Puerto Rico to access those programs in terms of the farmer disaster assistance, and I appreciate that. That happens also with the USDA programs. The USDA officials have been in contact directly, not just with my office, but with the Governor of Puerto Rico, with the local officials since early on when this problem was hitting the island. As a matter of fact, I was in touch today with them regarding a lot of the problems. I am also pleased with the inclusion of the disaster assistance for the Puerto Rican Nutrition Assistance Program in the second supplemental bill for the disaster relief that was approved here. However, we still need, of course, a lot of help. We still know that there is a long way to recover ahead of us. Most of the challenges we are facing now are because of the lack of power, the lack of electricity. Our people are struggling due to not having access to their nutritional assistance benefits because there are still many stores that remain without power and they cannot process the benefits through the electronic benefits system. If the benefits are not used, in the case of Puerto Rico, for a 60- day period, they are going to be removed from individual accounts, and then returned to the Nutrition Assistance Program. So that is one of the issues we are still working with the Department: American citizens losing access to funds allocated for them to mitigate food necessities. I would like to encourage the Department of Agriculture to take these difficulties into consideration and explore more avenues for remedial action, because I know nobody expected an island or a territory to be, after 49 days, without power. My people are helpless against the lack of electricity, yet they stand to suffer greatly because of it. Additionally, the Government of Puerto Rico had to request two hot foods waivers to allow the purchase of hot foods using Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The first one was graciously approved by the Secretary, and I hope the second one that has already been received will be also accommodated. Saying that, I want to thank personally Secretary Perdue and all the people working with FNS, USDA, and the Department of Agriculture, who have been visiting the island, dealing with farmers, dealing with the local officials. Of course, I just request that the agency remains sensitive to the challenges that 3.4 million American citizens are facing on the island. For that, I am thankful, I am grateful. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Thompson for allowing me to be here. I know this is not the first time that he is actually fighting for this. He has been a lone leader in that regard, and I want to join him in that effort.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. It is difficult. I just rode out the hurricane down there. We never expect to experience something like this. So this kind of program, the disaster program, is very important not just for territories, but for States. You will never know when something like this will happen to you. The gentleman is thanking me, but you know what? I am receiving all these opportunities and help because I count on people like him to actually help me out, reaching the agencies, doing the amendments, and the votes that are needed to approve that kind of relief bill that was here. I couldn't vote for that. Even though I represent 3.4 million American citizens, I could not vote, but the gentleman did. So this is a team effort, and there is a long way to recover. I hope it is going to end here. Again, I thank the gentleman for all he has been doing in the committee--in both committees, actually. I know we can, as a team, work out so the people of Puerto Rico may recover soon.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3922, the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act. I wanted to begin by first thanking Chairman Walden and Dr. Burgess for their leadership in moving forward this critically needed legislation. I am particularly thankful for those in the leadership and all of my colleagues in the Energy and Commerce Committee for including a $1 billion allocation to temporarily address Puerto Rico's impending ObamaCare-created medical cliff, while also providing another year of the disproportionate share hospital relief. To put things in perspective, when we arrived in this Congress during January of this year, more than 1 million Puerto Ricans were facing the imminent possibility of losing their healthcare coverage due to a funding shortfall resulting from ObamaCare's disparate application to the island. We moved quickly during the appropriations bill, and they allocated $295 million to improve that situation. In this bill, we are allocating $1 billion for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program. This is an important step, but we still need to secure a permanent and equitable solution to Puerto Rico's longstanding Medicaid inequalities, and that means changing the FMAP for the island.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, first, I thank the Speaker of the House and the whole leadership, Chairman Frelinghuysen, and all of the members from the Appropriations Committee for allowing the Federal Government to help Puerto Rico in this dire situation. On behalf of the 3.4 million American citizens that live in Puerto Rico and the nearly 5.5 million Puerto Ricans that live on the mainland, I rise today in strong support of this disaster supplemental appropriations bill. They have been focused on Puerto Rico since before the arrival of Hurricane Irma, and then during Hurricane Maria. I also thank all of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who have reached out during these past 3 weeks to express their encouragement and offer their assistance during this process. For that, my constituents and I will always be grateful to all of the Members of this House. As you may know by now, Puerto Rico was hit by two major hurricanes. First, Hurricane Irma, which caused significant damage on the eastern part of the island. That was on September 6. Then, on September 20, a few days later, we got hit by Hurricane Maria, which caused unprecedented destruction throughout the whole island and which many people consider that hurricane to be the most catastrophic natural disaster ever on U.S. soil. Today, 22 days after the storm hit, nearly 85 percent of our population remains without power, 44 percent without running water, and almost 58 percent without access to telecommunications. To this date, we still have towns like Las Marias, Maricao, Utuado, and many others in the central part of the island, that remain uncommunicated and can only be accessed by air since most of the roads and bridges were washed away. We are talking about more than 18 major roads and bridges that were just washed away. The death toll has reached 48 fatalities, and, unfortunately, certainly that number is going to increase in the coming days and weeks. This unprecedented humanitarian crisis in our own Nation has begun what is likely to evolve into a mass exodus of Puerto Ricans to the U.S. mainland, further jeopardizing the island's long-term recovery. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today telling you that the American citizens that live in Puerto Rico still are suffering in different ways. This is not the time to focus on how and when resources will be withdrawn from Puerto Rico, or how slowly we are going to rebuild the island. Today, 85 percent of our island is without electricity, yet 3.4 million American citizens living there just got less than 15,000 people working to recover the power grid. I just want to remind you that Florida got more than 61,000 people helping to recover their power grid in just 4 days. That is not acceptable in our case, and we are still American citizens. I know a lot of problems persist. It is too difficult to address the issue when you are not part of the mainland, you are not part of the power grid. It is different when you get access and resources to Texas, Louisiana, or Florida, because you can drive or you can have helicopters. In our case, everything is by ship or air. That means it is more difficult for the Federal Government to assist directly. That is the reason we got more than 15,000 personnel from the Coast Guard, National Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, Navy, and the assistance of all national guards--Virginia, Florida, and New York, just to name a few. The Puerto Rican communities in the States and on the island are showing the way, along with private companies, NGOs, and countless volunteers throughout the whole Nation. But there is still a lot that needs to be done as we begin the reconstruction. That is the reason this supplemental is so important for us. Allowing the people of Puerto Rico to access problems that we never have before, like SNAP, which will provide $1.3 billion to receive the same emergency disaster and nutrition assistance benefits as the States, this is the first time this Congress has allowed this to happen to Puerto Rico. I thank the Members and leadership of the House for allowing this money. This is the bill that provides for $18.7 billion to FEMA to have the disaster relief fund to help in lifesaving missions across the island for emergency protection and removal of debris--we continue to have a lot of debris on the island--and the repair and restoration of our infrastructure. That is going to be a matter of discussion on another day because we can't rebuild or redo the infrastructure we did before from the fifties or the sixties. We need to redo a lot of things on our power grid. It will provide also--and this is a very important area--$7.4 billion to have liquidity to the local government of Puerto Rico just to match Federal funds that are needed to these recovery actions. This is the second step this House has taken in terms of helping the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, people that are American citizens. This is the second step. The first one was the first supplemental that was approved.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. So this is the second step. This is not going to be the last one. We are going to need a lot more help in the coming months, and I know we can count on this House and on this Congress to make that happen. The people of Puerto Rico are grateful, they are resilient, and they are going to continue to show us the way to recover. It is going to take a lot of time, a lot of resources, a lot of money, and a lot of commitment as U.S. citizens, like we are.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Thank you, Mr. Weber, for allowing me to speak in these Special Orders, and actually speaking about hurricanes. Mr. Speaker and Members, last week, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, and it is by far the worst hurricane to do so in the last century. It came at a time when Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and most of the Caribbean were beginning to recover from the impact of Hurricane Irma just 10 days earlier. Keep in mind, also, that even before the winds and waves of Irma and Maria began to lash at the shores, Puerto Rico was already in a dire economic shape. We are still engaged in lifesaving operations, searching for and helping people who are in the greatest danger. Maria snapped the island's communication towers, and gathering information from many communities has been nearly impossible at this time, especially in the rural center of the island, where the winds were ferocious and landslides have occurred. This hurricane has been a disaster of unprecedented proportions. The images that you have been seeing on TV are dramatic but don't even begin to tell the magnitude of this catastrophe and the human suffering that you can only truly experience by being on the ground. In every way, Maria is on the same level of Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, but with one major difference: Puerto Rico is an island, which makes it almost impossible to get aid and disaster relief resources in, as they can only come by sea or air. The people are basically stuck there with no place to go. Currently, Puerto Rico's electric grid is completely down. Roads and bridges have been washed away, leaving many communities without communication. A crucial dam has burst, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Hospitals are crippled and operating on power generators, but the logistics of transporting the diesel needed to run them is extremely difficult. Thousands of homes, buildings, and businesses have been destroyed. Water and food are in short supply. People are waiting in line for up to 6 hours just to purchase $20 worth of gasoline. Commercial flights to and from the island are almost nonexistent, with thousands of people on airline wait-lists just to leave. Most banks cannot operate, and people don't have easy access to cash, which they need desperately because credit cards are not being used on the island because we don't have power. Maria flattened 80 percent of the island's agriculture, and Puerto Rico's tourism industry has been crushed. For most of the island's residents, the hurricane can best be described as apocalyptic. Congress must approve an aid package that is proportional with the level of devastation. We need tangible relief that addresses the island's immediate needs. Without help, there will be a massive exodus to the U.S. mainland, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis will only get worse. The residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens. They are not different from every person sitting in this Chamber. But unlike everyone else, Congress has 100 percent control over the land where we live. This is a job for the Federal Government, particularly this Congress, to authorize and appropriate the money needed to rebuild the island. This is a dire time for the island, and, therefore, our Nation. The U.S. has an abiding national interest in the recovery and prosperity of Puerto Rico and its 3.4 million U.S. citizens who are facing very tough economic times, even before this latest blow. I have heard from many of you, many of my colleagues, even the Vice President today, and I am deeply grateful for all the prayers and support. I also want to thank the Trump administration for their unwavering collaboration with the Puerto Rico National Guard. More than 10,000 people were deployed helping the island to restore the power grid. It will take more than 6 months to get power on the island again. I hope this House can keep us in your prayers, but also to approve the package that is going to be needed in October, and I know we will respond. That was the claim that President Trump made today, and the Vice President. I was just in a meeting with them. I want to thank the Speaker of the House for his leadership allowing the waiver to the cost sharing of FEMA on the island.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico's territorial constitution is 65 years old today. An act of Congress authorized the island's people to pass a charter of the local government. It did not, however, eliminate Federal authority to govern Puerto Rico in local matters. The island's constitution names the territorial government a ``freely associated State'' in Spanish, but we are not a freely associated State because we are not a sovereign nation. Under the U.S. Constitution, Puerto Rico remains subject to a territorial clause until it becomes a State. Proof of that power is PROMESA, which installed Federal appointees to make final decisions on Puerto Rico's fiscal matters. The Americans I represent want to exercise self-government in local matters once again; but, more importantly, want to fully possess that power as the States do.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand before the House today to recognize Vice Admiral Diego ``Duke'' Hernandez, a decorated war hero and patriot who passed away on Friday, July 7, at 83 years old. Admiral Hernandez was born and raised in Puerto Rico, the son of two schoolteachers who became a three-star admiral and the highest ranking Hispanic officer in the United States Navy at the time. Throughout his distinguished 35-year career, he served as a commander to various naval forces earning the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Purple Heart. He exemplified the valor and commitment that his brothers in arms from Puerto Rico have demonstrated since the Great War. On July 14, 1998, Admiral Hernandez testified before the Senate and highlighted Puerto Rican participation in our Nation's wars and the reality of their marginalization from the democracy they fought to defend and uphold. He urged Congress to respond to the people of Puerto Rico so they can achieve political self-determination. In his honor, I echo the same. Today, I ask the House to join me in expressing our profound gratitude to Admiral Hernandez and his contributions to the United States of America.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, the American citizens of Puerto Rico overwhelmingly voted in favor of becoming the 51st State of our great Nation. This is the second time in the past 5 years where my constituents have expressed their will to join our Nation. Soon I will introduce legislation to set forth the terms of admission for the new State of Puerto Rico. Our people have, in war and peace, made countless contributions to our Nation. They have fought in every conflict since the Great War. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, and when they do, their casket is flown back to this country draped in an American flag bearing the 50 stars, but no star that represents them. It takes a special kind of patriotism to fight for a nation that does not treat you equally, a nation that is a champion of democracy and self-determination, yet denies those same principles to 3.4 million of its own citizens in Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, my constituents have spoken, and they deserve Congress' response.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, since the day I was elected to Congress, I pledged to do everything in my power to help veterans receive the care and attention they deserve. S. 1094 will ensure that persons hired to care for the health and the well-being of our veterans do so according to VA regulations, and those who fail in their duties are held accountable. Moreover, this bill protects whistleblowers from retaliation when they alarm us of VA misconduct. Currently, Puerto Rico has one VA regional benefit office, one VA hospital, and a few outpatient clinics. These facilities provide all the VA services to the island's veterans. This bill will help ensure places with limited VA facilities, like Puerto Rico, will be efficiently administered and make certain that the VA's employees adhere to the standards of excellence that our men and women in uniform expect. I thank Senator Rubio for sponsoring this bill, but I need to thank Chairman Roe for guiding this important legislation on the House floor the same way he did with H.R. 1529.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, today I must first thank Chairman Roe for all of his leadership and work on behalf of our veterans. I also thank Representative Bost and all of our committee members for allowing me to contribute to this effort. Today I rise to support H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act. This bill will provide timely justice to the brave Americans who gave their best in the name of democracy, freedom, and the continuing greatness of our Nation. As the sole representative of more than 93,000 registered veterans in Puerto Rico, I established a Veterans Affairs Task Force, and one of the main complaints they have is about the Veterans Administration's and Board of Veterans Appeals' slow processing of their claims. I believe every veterans service organization hears similar complaints. The most recent statistics reveal a 5,000-case backlog for claims originally filed by Puerto Rican veterans. One such Puerto Rican claim has gone on for over 12 years, other claims for over 5 years. As of this date, the veterans are still waiting for the Board of Veterans Appeals' decisions. This is not the justice system our veterans deserve. I am a proud sponsor of this bill, and this bill will provide heroic veterans a system that is adjusted to their needs.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, as a fiscal conservative, let me set the record straight. This bill's recognized $296 million of Medicaid funding is just a bridge, half of the bridge. This legislation simply reprograms this funding to partially address the impending Medicaid cliff in Puerto Rico. This allocation does not constitute new money for the island. There should be no mistake about the territories' Medicaid program, which historically has been underfunded and treated differently from the States. This cliff is the result of ObamaCare. Congress should understand that that failure to address this issue will provoke a complete collapse of Puerto Rico's healthcare delivery system and make worse the already ongoing mass exodus from the island to the mainland States, such as Florida and North Carolina. Over 1.4 million United States American citizens in Puerto Rico receive health services through the Medicaid program at a per member, per year rate of $167 versus $500 to $600 in the 50 States. It is quite a difference. I want to recognize and thank Speaker Paul Ryan, Chairman Frelinghuysen, Chairman Cole, Members of this House, and all of my colleagues for supporting this bill.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the U.S. Territories Investor Protection Act. I am a cosponsor of this bill, and I thank Representative Velazquez for introducing H.R. 1366 and the Members who have joined in supporting this important legislation. The U.S. Territories Investor Protection Act will close a loophole in the current law. By passing this bill, Congress will bring to Puerto Rico's investors the same protections enjoyed by investors residing in the 50 States. Under current law, investment funds that are located and organized in the U.S. territories and sell to only residents of the territories are exempted from the Investment Company Act of 1940, which governs entities, such as mutual and exchange-traded funds. Because of this exemption, investment companies located in the U.S. territories can sell their products to territory residents while not being subjected to the oversight, disclosure, and conflict-of-interest requirements that govern investment companies located in the States. As a result, investors residing in Puerto Rico and the other territories have experienced investment losses, some of which likely would have been prohibited had the 1940 act applied to the territories. For example, UBS operating in Puerto Rico served as an adviser to Puerto Rico's Employees Retirement System and, in 2008, led the underwriting of a $2.9 billion bond issue for the government pension agency. UBS then placed $1.7 billion of those funds into UBS-managed mutual funds that UBS then sold exclusively to customers on the island. This investment would have been forbidden by the Investment Company Act if these funds were sold in the States. The Puerto Rican investors holding these bonds have suffered massive losses and are claiming that UBS did not properly disclose the risks of these funds. On the island, hundreds of these customers have filed arbitration claims with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and seek more than $1.1 billion in damages. UBS continues to lose these cases for failing its fiduciary responsibilities. Today's vote on H.R. 1366 will help end such outrageous investment abuse and gives Congress another opportunity to align the laws governing Puerto Rico and the other territories with the laws governing the 50 States. H.R. 1366 will remove the territories' exemption and make the Investment Company Act of 1940 apply to companies that are located, organized in, and sell to residents of the territories. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 1366, the U.S. Territories Investor Protection Act.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, I was elected to seek equality for the 3.4 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico. I am the sole elected representative for the island and I represent more constituents in my sole district than anyone in this House.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, I was elected to seek equality for 3.4 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico. I am the sole Representative for the island, and I represent more constituents in my sole district than anyone in this House. I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the Jones Act, which conferred American citizenship on Puerto Ricans on this day in 1917. Since then, more than 200,000 veterans have served proudly in the U.S. military, where they are equal in war but not in peace. That is why I stand with the will of the people of Puerto Rico to incorporate to the United States as the 51st State of the Union, as requested in the 2012 plebiscite by 61 percent of the votes. Let this House fulfill the promise that the United States of America is a nation of liberty and justice for all of us.

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico

Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as Puerto Rico's sole elected representative in Congress to speak about a great man who gave up his voting rights in order to live and die in the place he loved so much, my Puerto Rico. Former Congressman Robert ``Bob'' Garcia devoted his life to helping our nation become more open and diverse. Before 1990, being Hispanic was not even a classification in the census. Thanks to him, from 1990 on, Hispanics are now counted. Thanks to him, we now know that there are nearly 60 million Hispanics in America, over 50 million in the 50 states and over 3.4 million in Puerto Rico and the rest of our territories. Thanks to Bob Garcia, the early divisions between African-Americans and Hispanics began to heal. Thanks to his solidarity, our nation now devotes a federal holiday to honor the most important African-American in our nation's history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thanks to Bob Garcia and his fellow Congressman Jack Kemp, a Republican, their good idea of creating Enterprise Zones, where poverty is fought through job creation and not through handouts, became a reality. Today I stand for the expansion of this program. Like hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans, Bob Garcia served in the United States Army, in his particular case during the Korean War as a radio operator with the Third Infantry Division. Yet, like his fellow veterans on the Island, his right to vote for the President and a full- fledged delegation in the U.S. Congress was taken away the minute he moved to Puerto Rico. On a lighter note, every time I spoke to him, he would remind me that, since his first election to Congress in 1978, he had never voted for a Republican, that is, until he voted for me, a Republican woman, to represent him as a non-voting delegate in this House. I am honored that for three weeks, Bob was my constituent. He and his wife Jane moved a few years ago to Puerto Rico, knowing that in so doing, they, like the other 3.4 million U.S. citizens residing on the Island, would become disenfranchised. Last November, they couldn't vote for the President, U.S. senators or voting members of Congress, but they chose me to be Puerto Rico's sole elected voice in this chamber. Bob empowered me to fight to give him back his voting rights, not through relocation to the states, but in the Puerto Rico he chose to live the last days of his long, fruitful and accomplished life. Twelve days ago, while lying in state in the territorial Capitol building, Bob Garcia was honored by the people of Puerto Rico. Today, I join my fellow members in honoring a friend and mentor who left his mark in this body and in the history of a nation. May God bless Congressman Bob Garcia and his legacy.