The Puerto Rican legislature will create a committee to address legislation signed in June by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont that seeks to establish a trade commission between his state and Puerto Rico.
The bill aims to bring several benefits to the island, including the energy sector, as well as to the Puerto Rican community in the state. The law does not require parallel legislation from the government of Puerto Rico.
“The goal is to boost economic and business growth, the energy [sector], and the cultural exchange among Puerto Ricans,” Eddie Charbonier Chinea, a Puerto Rican lawmaker, said in an interview with El Nuevo Día.
The legislator is set to introduce the special commission in August.
Connecticut's Puerto Rican lawmakers plan to visit the island before January, which marks the start of the legislative session, to meet with Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) and compare measures to identify those that could benefit both groups, Charbonier Chinea said.
Connecticut lawmakers say the trade commission will help the island in various ways.
“The energy sector stands to benefit the most from this agreement," said Connecticut Rep. Christopher Rosario, a Bridgeport Democrat and a co-sponsor of the trade commission bill.
Rosario, whose family hails from Aibonito, said it is important for the island to have access to technicians and engineers from “energy distribution and transmission companies in the state, like Eversource and United Illuminating” as an option to respond to natural disasters.
In Puerto Rico, House Speaker Carlos “Johnny” Méndez and Senator Carmelo Ríos have also been paying close attention to the issue.
In Connecticut, the legislation passed both the House and Senate unanimously – and had co-sponsors from both Democratic and Republican parties.
“Being a Republican or a Democrat doesn’t matter here,” Rosario said. “The law was passed ... without opposition.”
The main goal of the agreement is to “open up business” on both sides, since Puerto Rican merchants in the state say they’ve had difficulties importing products from the island.
“The reason we created this forum is to unite individual efforts and help, above all, those merchants in Puerto Rico who want to sell their products to the diaspora,” Rosario said.
At a bill signing ceremony for the trade commission in June, Lamont noted his mother was born and raised in San Juan. His grandmother went to the island as a Catholic missionary teacher in the 1920s. He emphasized how the trade commission could strengthen ties to the island.
“I love that Puerto Rican teachers come here to teach,” Lamont said. “I want us to continue strengthening academic ties. ... I want more Puerto Rican merchants to be able to bring their products and culture to Connecticut.”
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Sebastián Negrón pointed out that many Puerto Rican families have settled in Connecticut, creating ties that translate into tangible opportunities to expand trade.
“We are excited about the opportunity for active collaboration with the new trade commission, promoting initiatives that will reinforce our value chains and stimulate academic exchange, innovation, and infrastructure development,” Negrón said in a written statement.
