Governor signs resolution allocating $ 500 million in incentives to merchants and workers

Last night, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced signed Joint Resolution 23-2020, which assigns to various government entities and distributes $ 500 million from the General Fund to finance a portion of the first phase of the Strategic Plan to Reactivate Our Economy, Support Our Merchants and Protect Our Workers in response to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“We are taking measures to help the citizens not get infected with this virus, just as we are working with these incentives to financially help our people. I thank the Legislative Assembly that finally attended this Joint Resolution with the initiatives that we had announced, the which as soon as we received, I proceeded to sign to do economic justice to individuals, merchants, municipalities and others. I also thank the Fiscal Oversight Board, who have collaborated in this process with our administration. We will continue to work together to offer more aid ” , expressed the first executive.
This Joint Resolution will provide an incentive of up to $ 500 to individuals who are self-employed, according to the parameters determined by the Department of the Treasury, which total $ 100 million. It also plans to provide an incentive of $ 3,500 to municipal police officers on duty, for a total of $ 11,998,000, the same amount for municipal firefighters totaling $ 175,000, and an incentive of up to $ 2,000 for internal revenue agents on duty, totaling $ 500,000.
The Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) offers an incentive of up to $ 1,500 to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to the parameters determined by the DDEC in consultation with the Department of the Treasury. This aid totals $ 60 million.
The Department of Public Safety grants: an incentive of $ 3,500 to the technicians of the Medical Emergency Bureau on duty; up to $ 4,000 to members of the rank system of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau on duty; up to $ 3,500 to rank members of the Puerto Rico Fire Department Bureau on duty; up to $ 3,500 to operational personnel who handle emergency, crisis and disasters of the in-service Emergency Management and Disaster Management Bureau; up to $ 3,500 to the operators and telecommunications operators of the 9-1-1 Emergency System Bureau in service; up to $ 3,500 to the agents of the Special Investigations Bureau (NIE) on duty; up to $ 3,500 to programmatic staff of the Forensic Science Bureau (NCF); in addition to purchasing equipment and security materials. These grants total $ 75,686,000.

As for the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, up to $ 3,500 is provided to on-duty correction officers for a total of $ 16,831,500; and for the General Court of Justice, an incentive of up to $ 2,000 to the bailiffs and service employees of the Judicial Branch of Puerto Rico, which totals $ 800,000.
The Department of Education will have $ 124,252,500 for the purchase or lease of technological equipment, such as electronic tablets, licenses, and programs to offer training services to offer distance education.
The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) will obtain $ 1,714,000 to finance research and development in the Medical Sciences Campus and in other venues related to COVID-19 and related topics.
The Office of Management and Budget (OGP) will provide emergency assistance to the 78 municipalities, which will be distributed as follows: $ 1 million for municipalities with 25,000 inhabitants or less; $ 1,350,000 for municipalities with between 25,001 and 50,000 inhabitants; $ 1,750,000 for municipalities with more than 50,001 inhabitants. This adds up to $ 100,050,000.
It also offers emergency assistance to the Highway and Transportation Authority in view of the reduction in income as a consequence of the emergency and establishes a reserve to cover expenses related to the measures, which total $ 1,993,000.
“We trust the speed that the DDEC and the Department of the Treasury will take to process and issue the aid announced and approved tonight, which is so lacking at the moment,” added the governor, who recalled that this is the first of several economic measures. that they are working for the benefit of the working class.

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