{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where state = \"PR\" and year = 2017 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://gonzalez-colon.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-responds-jennifer-gonzalez-and-approves-35-billion-disaster-relief-funds", "House responds to Jennifer Gonzalez and approves $35 Billion for disaster relief funds that will benefit Puerto Rico", "2017-10-12", "2017", "2017-10", "Republican", "House", "PR", "Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n", "G000582", "gonzalez-colon.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington DC - The House of Representatives approved today by a vote of 353-69 the Supplemental Appropriation for Disaster Relief Bill, HR 2266, which allocates over $35 billion for emergency response and would benefit Puerto Rico in the recovery phase after the devastation from two hurricanes in less than two weeks. This was reported by the Resident Commissioner, Jennifer\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0Col\u00f3n, who earlier today addressed the House chamber calling on fellow congressmen to vote in favor of the measure.\n\u201cThe Supplemental Appropriation for Disaster Relief Bill that we have in front of us is a big one, however, it is the first step of our goal. The funds included this bill are urgently necessary to provide resources for American families and communities that are suffering. It will help to continue current efforts, provide immediate relief and helping to start the reconstruction process.\u00a0\nYesterday in a\u00a0press\u00a0conference, PR\u2019s Resident Commissioner announced the filing of the legislative piece that appropriates $35 billion in emergency funding and includes PR and the U.S. Virgin Islands. GOP House Leadership members who hosted and endorsed that\u00a0press\u00a0conference included Speaker Paul Ryan, Conference Chair Cathy McMorris, Majority Whip Steve Scalise and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.\u00a0\n\u201cI want to thank [Puerto Rico Congresswoman]\u00a0Jenniffer\u00a0[Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n] for the work she has been performing I want to echo what [Majority Leader] Kevin [McCarthy] has said. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in Puerto Rico. We\u2019re going to show it with action and expressing our concern directly to them on Friday\u201d, said Speaker Paul Ryan, who arrives tomorrow with\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0Col\u00f3n to Puerto Rico, along with other congress members.\n\u201cPuerto Ricans are American, and as Americans we take care of our own. This island is totally devastated and I\u2019m pleased that the delegate from Puerto Rico, Jennifer Gonzalez, is with us today and has been such a tireless advocate and tremendous leader, as they begin a long process of rebuilding\u201d stated Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris.\u00a0\n\u201cWatching Jennifer with her passion, making sure that Puerto Rico is included in that discussion of my very first day back to Congress a week and a half ago, I got to sit down with her and she made that case directly to me as well. This is why we will take more steps this week to make sure help is in place and the Trump administration has the resources they need from Congress to take care of the damages from these storms\u201d said Majority Whip Steve Scalise.\u00a0\n\u201cThe passion which Jennifer shows is because she has seen things directly. When you think of what is happening in America, the hurricanes, the floods, the deaths, Las Vegas, it is a very trying time. Puerto Rico sustained two major hurricanes, and we will work this week to make sure we get the resources to them, but this will not be the end of it. This will take time to rebuild, but I know that with Jennifer\u2019s leadership the efforts to rebuild Puerto Rico will be kept on track\u201d, added House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.\u00a0\nThe supplementary measure, adds funds to the current federal budget for:\n- $13.77 Billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund. \u201cThe White House had asked Congress to approve $12.77 billion, in the House we added a billion dollars more to that item,\u201d said\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0Colon;\n- $4.9 Billion for loans to governments and public dependencies of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program, to provide operational liquidity for both Caribbean governments until the end of this year;\n- $1.2 Billion for the Emergency SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Program \u2013 normally Puerto Rico \u201cFood Stamp\u201d beneficiaries do not have access to this program because it operates a separate block grant program, but in face of the emergency caused by these hurricanes the administration granted this benefit. SNAP is a federally funded program to help low-income persons acquire healthy food, as the nation's first line of defense against hunger and a tool to ensure food security. Statistics show the program helps people to rise from situations such as unemployment, and also has a multiplier effect due to the funds it injects into on the economy;\n- Authorization to the Department of Defense so that they can maintain their level of support as long as needed;\n-\u00a0 $16 billion in debt cancellation to restore the balance of the Federal Flood Insurance Program\n- Nearly $ 500 million in funds to respond to the wildfires in the Western U.S. and California.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://gonzalez-colon.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-committee-discuss-situation-puerto-rico-and-us-virgin-islands-after", "House Committee discuss the situation in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after hurricanes Irma and Mara", "2017-10-05", "2017", "2017-10", "Republican", "House", "PR", "Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n", "G000582", "gonzalez-colon.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington DC- House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) organized an informal roundtable yesterday for the members of the committee to discuss the situation in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after hurricanes Irma and Mar\u00eda.\nPuerto Rico Resident Commissioner\u00a0Jenniffer\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0Col\u00f3n and USVI Delegate Stacey Plaskett each presented to the committee a report on the situation in their respective territories, describing the total physical and economic devastation caused by the storms and the stages of progress in the response and recovery effort, as well as estimates of damages.\u00a0 Both spoke passionately about the experiences of their constituents and thanked the members of the committee for the commitment expressed to support the rebuilding needs.\nCommittee staff reviewed for the members the jurisdiction and competencies of the committee, which has oversight over the territories\u2019 administration.\u00a0 This enables the committee to act in aspects such as streamlining administrative regulations; however, for other financial, labor or health service type actions it will require working together with the other committees with primary jurisdiction.\u00a0 That includes moving forth the emergency response legislation that may be pending before these committees.\u00a0 One issue that is within the Natural Resources Committee jurisdiction is Title V of PROMESA, which defines critical infrastructure projects and that may be something to which to consider having the Fiscal Board change focus or even to amend.\nThe Chairman and members of the committee agreed with both the Caribbean Congresswomen that there must be a new vision of FEMA\u2019s mandate, so that it should not be merely to restore what existed on the day of landfall as it was, but to cooperate with a reconstruction that is up to current standards and less vulnerable to future hazards. The delegations from the other insular territories equally expressed their interest to have that be applicable in the future to all jurisdictions\n\u201cI thank Chairman Bishop and all the Members of Congress who attended today\u2019s member forum on recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.\u00a0 It is clear that Members are committed to ensuring that Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have a path to recovery that does not just restore conditions as they were before the hurricanes made landfall, but that will enable the territories to come out stronger.\u00a0 I praise the Natural Resources Committee\u2019s initiative to promptly address the devastating situations in both Puerto Rico and the USVI and I look forward to working with the Committee to improve the lives of the 3.5 million citizens residing in the affected territories.\u201d\n\u201cI want to thank Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez and Delegate Stacey Plaskett for their leadership. Their contributions to today\u2019s forum were extremely beneficial for our members in helping to understand the situations on the ground and the unique challenges facing both territories. I look forward to working with both of them, along with all of our members, local officials and federal partners to ensure expedient recovery and rebuilding,\u201d Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) said.\n\u201cAs we all know, a majority of the Virgin Islands remains without power. Wireless and internet service is spotty.\u00a0While our local utility and telecom service providers are working swiftly to restore services, they need more resources to boost their efforts.\u00a0The pace at which these services are restored is critical to our recovery time. While only some of these needs are within the jurisdiction of the Committee of Natural Resources, the Office of Insular Affairs will play a prominent role in our recovery efforts,\u201d Delegate Plaskett (D-USVI) said. \u201cSupport from the House Committee on Natural Resources is crucial and is needed in terms of making sure the Virgin Islands has the necessary funds for Technical Assistance and Capital Improvement Project grants for the our operational and infrastructure needs which will include our hospitals, schools, roads, and wastewater treatment.\u00a0I would also urge Members of the Committee on Natural Resources to support in the future broader legislation addressing our longer-term recovery efforts.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://gonzalez-colon.house.gov/media/press-releases/jenniffer-gonz-lez-promueve-en-corea-del-sur-puerto-rico-como-destino-de", "Jenniffer Gonzlez promueve en Corea del Sur a Puerto Rico  como destino de inversin", "2017-09-01", "2017", "2017-09", "Republican", "House", "PR", "Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n", "G000582", "gonzalez-colon.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n presented to various Korean enterprise groups the opportunities for business in Puerto Rico during her visit as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation working to create closer trade and security links between the United States and South Korea.\u00a0\n\u00a0\nSe\u00fal, Rep\u00fablica de Corea del Sur-\u00a0 La comisionada residente, Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez Col\u00f3n, present\u00f3 las oportunidades para hacer negocios en Puerto Rico a varios conglomerados de empresas, como parte de su visita, junto a una delegaci\u00f3n congresional bipartita, para estrechar los lazos comerciales y de seguridad entre Estados Unidos y Corea del Sur.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nLa comisionada resalt\u00f3 los incentivos econ\u00f3micos, la infraestructura de la isla, la mano de obra local especializada y las regulaciones federales como atractivos para hacer negocios en Puerto Rico.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nGonz\u00e1lez Col\u00f3n particip\u00f3 de una mesa redonda de trabajo con la C\u00e1mara de Comercio Americana en Corea, donde discuti\u00f3 en m\u00e1s detalles las ventajas de invertir en Puerto Rico. All\u00ed convers\u00f3 con el presidente y CEO de la organizaci\u00f3n, James Kin.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nEn la noche, la congresista habl\u00f3 ante cientos de empresas que integran el Korea International Trade Association (KITA) sobre los incentivos que ofrece Puerto Rico en \u00e1reas especializadas como farmac\u00e9utica, tecnolog\u00eda, biomedicina, industrias creativas, textiles, inform\u00e1ticas, entre otros. \u00a0\n\u00a0\nLos congresistas se reunieron adem\u00e1s con el presidente de SPC Group, Hur Young-in, gran conglomerado en Se\u00fal que re\u00fane productores de alimentos y confiter\u00eda; y con el presidente de CJ Group, Sohn Kyung-Shik, otro conglomerado, pero en esta ocasi\u00f3n de compa\u00f1\u00edas de inversi\u00f3n.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nLa delegaci\u00f3n congresional busca reforzar la alianza comercial entre Estados Unidos y Corea del Sur ante el Tratado de Libre Comercio entre ambas naciones o KORUS que entr\u00f3 en vigor el 15 de marzo del 2012.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nLa comisionada residente visit\u00f3, adem\u00e1s, la zona desmilitarizada (DMZ) entre Corea del Norte y Corea del Sur donde se reuni\u00f3 con el secretario de las Naciones Unidas para esta misi\u00f3n.\n\u00a0\nEl DMZ se cre\u00f3 el 27 de julio de 1953 con la firma del Armisticio que dio fin a la Guerra de Corea; cubre un \u00e1rea de dos kil\u00f3metros donde la actividad militar est\u00e1 prohibida; sirve como reserva ecol\u00f3gica; y conserva t\u00faneles y edificios como herencia hist\u00f3rica de la guerra.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nLa visita se dio el mismo d\u00eda del lanzamiento de un misil bal\u00edstico por cielo japon\u00e9s por parte de Corea del Norte.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nLa delegaci\u00f3n congresional sostuvo reuniones con sus hom\u00f3logos en Corea del Sur en el Parlamento coreano. All\u00ed se reunieron con Shim Jae-Kwon, presidente del Comit\u00e9 de Unificaci\u00f3n y Asuntos de Exteriores de la Asamblea Nacional Coreana y representantes de varios partidos pol\u00edticos.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\n###\n\n\tJenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez promotes Puerto Rico as investment destination in South Korea\n\t\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tSeoul, Republic of Korea -\u00a0 Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n presented to various Korean enterprise groups the opportunities for business in Puerto Rico during her visit as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation working to create closer trade and security links between the United States and South Korea.\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tThe Resident Commissioner highlighted the island\u2019s infrastructure, Enterprise incentives, specialized workforce and protection of federal regulations as factors that make Puerto Rico attractive for business.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tGonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n joined the work of a roundtable of the Korea American Chamber of Commerce to discuss more in detail Puerto Rico\u2019s investment advantages, and held conversations with the organization\u2019s President and CEO James Kim.\n\t\u00a0\n\tThat evening the Congresswoman addressed representatives of the hundreds of companies that form the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) about Puerto Rico\u2019s incentives for specialized industries like pharmaceuticals, biomedical, high tech, IT, textiles and others.\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tThe Members of Congress had meetings with Hur Young-in, president of SPC Group, a Seoul-based conglomerate of food and Candy producers; as well as Sohn Kyung-Shik, president of investment firm conglomerate CJ Group.\u00a0\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tThe congressional delegation seeks to reinforce the commercial partnership between South Korea and the United States under the Korea-US Free Trade Zone, established March 15, 2012.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tThe Resident Commissioner visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea where she met with the UN secretary for the Mission. The DMZ, created on July 23 1953 when the armistice was signed stopping the Korean War, covers a span of two kilometers on each side of the ceasefire line where military activities are banned. It serves as a nature reserve and preserves historic buildings and tunnels as legacy of the war.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tThis visit happened against the backdrop of a North Korean missile launch over Japanese airspace.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n\t\u00a0\n\tThe Members of Congress held meetings with their peers in the South Korean Parliament, where they met with Shim Jae-Kwon, chair of the Korean National Assembly\u2019s Committee on Unification and Foreign Affairs, and representatives of various political parties\n\t\u00a0\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 3, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"state\" = :p0 and \"year\" = :p1 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "PR", "p1": "2017"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=PR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 3, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=PR&year=2017&party=Republican", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=PR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 3, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=PR&year=2017&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=PR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "PR", "label": "PR", "count": 3, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?year=2017", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?state=PR&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "2017", "label": "2017", "count": 3, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=PR", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": null, "next_url": null, "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 35.155423916876316, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}