An effort to deepen economic ties between the State of Connecticut and the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico came together on Tuesday.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a bill that would establish a 23-member trade commission between the state and Puerto Rico.
“This is a long time in the making, and I believe that it was the collaborative effort. We worked very hard to make it a reality, and we're excited that this is moving forward,” said Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven. “I think now the real work begins, right?”
The measure aims to boost trade and economic investment, and allows lawmakers in the continental U.S. and on the island to team up on policy issues of interest to both communities, among other things.
“The committee will break out into academics, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, agricultural and the like because those are four avenues that can parlay and play off each other, going back and forth to Connecticut and Puerto Rico,” explained bill co-sponsor Geraldo Reyes, who represents Waterbury.
Another aim would help to promote business and academic exchanges between the state and the island. Some had already been in talks — like the just-inked agreement between the University of Puerto Rico’s Ponce campus and the University of Bridgeport’s nursing programs.
“(It) opens up a myriad of opportunities for those folks on the island,” said co-sponsor Christopher Rosario of Bridgeport, “and, vice versa, for those students from here that can go and study down there and experience Latin America — being that we have a high concentration of Latinos here in New England — to learn the language and work in that environment.”
Given the skills sharing focus, support has come from both sides of the aisle.
“This is about creating mutual opportunities for job growth and economic development,” said Republican Sen. Henri Martin in a statement. “It makes sense for us to create a panel that will focus on deepening ties with Puerto Rico. Those deeper ties can bring about entrepreneurship and innovative ideas while boosting tourism.”
But before the commission can be formally established, Puerto Rico’s legislature must pass a parallel bill and get a signature from their governor, Jenniffer González-Colón.
And as Puerto Rico still recovers from damage to its electrical grid after a series of hurricanes and earthquakes in recent years, the new commission aims to help garner investment in infrastructure on the island and the state.
“One of the things that we kind of feel helpless here on the mainland is: When something happens back home, what can we do to help? I think this is a way for us to kind of reach out again, and especially when it comes to the infrastructure with energy,” Rosario said. “We want to send our folks as well, those experts that can help fix that electrical grid — something that Washington is not doing, something that we can do as a state.”
