Representatives Introduce Legislation to Create Independent Commission on Hurricane Response in Puerto Rico

Representatives Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) have introduced legislation to establish an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the federal government’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The bill was proposed in light of a recent Harvard study that estimated the death count from the hurricane to be over 4,600, far higher than official death toll of 64.

The commission would examine federal preparedness, the adequacy of the death-toll methodology, and funding levels. It would also compare efforts in Puerto Rico to other U.S. jurisdictions after the 2017 hurricanes. So far, Congress has allocated about $32 billion in aid to the island, of which $3.2 billion has been disbursed, far short of the estimated $94.4 billion in damages.

Read the proposed legislation at: https://bit.ly/2JVMHQZ