The governments of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic signed Tuesday a series of bilateral agreements that seek to promote economic, academic, scientific, security, and cultural experiences between the two islands that share deep historical ties.
In accordance with its practice of regularly reviewing ratings on Rating Watch, credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings announced Wednesday it will maintain its “Rating Watch Negative” status on $3.4 billion of outstanding Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority senior lien revenue bonds.
The Puerto Rico Treasury Department announced Thursday that preliminary General Fund revenues totaled $452 million in November. This figure is $3 million, or 0.7 percent, below estimates, agency Secretary Juan Zaragoza-Gómez said.
Nine local trade organizations representing contractors, mechanics, architects and engineers, among others, raised a collective red flag of concern over the looming possibility of a shutdown of the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority, saying it would be “chaos” and would leave hundreds of workers on the street during the holiday season.
As part of a sweeping inter-agency effort, and backed by Code for America, government officials announced this weekend the birth of PrimerPeso.com, an online platform that aims to give start-ups and established small businesses in Puerto Rico the tools needed to access financing to launch or expand their operations.
Puerto Rico General Fund revenue collections reached $676 million in October, beating government estimates by $7 million. However, the results were $185.6 million less when bumped up against October 2013 figures.
Government Development Bank President Melba Acosta announced Thursday the filing of legislation containing measures to improve the fiscal and financial situation of the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority.
Citing local and federal Constitutional rights that establish freedom of information, New Progressive Party Rep. José Enrique Meléndez filed a lawsuit against the Government Development Bank and Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla, asking the court to order them to release reports crafted by private firms proposing a restructuring of Puerto Rico’s economy.
As part of its initiative to enhance public disclosure, the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico recently provided a “special liquidity update,” while the Treasury Department posted a Commonwealth General Fund cash flow projection for Fiscal 2015.
Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla announced changes to his fiscal team Wednesday that call for shifting Treasury Secretary Melba Acosta to the helm of the Government Development Bank, and naming Juan Zaragoza-Gómez as her successor at the agency. The governor also announced the appointment of Luis Cruz as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico disclosed Tuesday that during the first quarter of Fiscal 2015, it has approved more than $32.2 million in 68 loans to businesses looking to expand or establish themselves on the island.
A little over month after implementing an online service that enables citizens to interact with the agency in new ways, the Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico said Wednesday it has received 46 applications for business loans, of which 32 are corporate applications and 14 applications for individual operations.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday the transfer of more than $4.9 million in State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funds to Puerto Rico to help local businesses access the capital they need to grow and hire.
A group of high-ranking officials participated Wednesday in the annual Code for America summit in San Francisco, where they unveiled an application known as “PrimerPaso” developed for Puerto Rico, to address government-specific problems.
The Gov. García-Padilla administration is looking to broaden the scope of possibilities regarding the establishment of public-private partnerships, or P3s, through legislation that would allow smaller scale projects, P3 Authority Executive Director Grace Santana said.
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