DOCSLIB.ORG

In the Supreme Court of the United States

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
In the Supreme Court of the United States Nos. 18-1334, -1496, -1514 In the Supreme Court of the United States FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND MANAGEMENT BOARD FOR PUERTO RICO, Petitioner, V. AURELIUS INVESTMENT, LLC, ET AL., Respondents. OFFICIAL COMMITTEE OF UNSECURED CREDITORS OF ALL TITLE III DEBTORS OTHER THAN COFINA, Petitioner, V. AURELIUS INVESTMENT, LLC, ET AL., Respondents. UNITED STATES, Petitioner, V. AURELIUS INVESTMENT, LLC, ET AL., Respondents. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT OPENING BRIEF FOR PETITIONER THE FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND MANAGEMENT BOARD FOR PUERTO RICO DONALD B. VERRILLI, JR. MARTIN J. BIENENSTOCK Counsel of Record STEPHEN L. RATNER GINGER D. ANDERS TIMOTHY W. MUNGOVAN SARAH G. BOYCE MARK D. HARRIS ADELE M. EL-KHOURI CHANTEL L. FEBUS RACHEL G. MILLER-ZIEGLER PROSKAUER ROSE LLP MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP Eleven Times Square 1155 F Street NW 7th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Washington, D.C. 20004 (212) 969-3000 (202) 220-1100 [email protected] [email protected] JORDAN D. SEGALL MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP 350 S. Grand Ave., 50th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213) 683-9208 Counsel for Petitioner i QUESTION PRESENTED Whether the Appointments Clause governs the appointment of members of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. ii PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING Petitioner and Cross-Respondent here, Appellee below, is the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico. Petitioners and Cross-Respondents here, also Ap- pellees below, are the United States; the Common- wealth of Puerto Rico; the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees; the Official Committee of Retired Employees of the Common- wealth of Puerto Rico; the Official Committee of Un- secured Creditors; Puerto Rico Electric Power Au- thority (PREPA); the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority; Andrew G. Biggs; José B. Carrión, III; Carlos M. García; Arthur J. González; José R. González; Ana J. Matosantos; and David A. Skeel, Jr. Respondents and Cross-Petitioners here, Appel- lants below, are Assured Guaranty Corporation; As- sured Guaranty Municipal Corporation; Aurelius Investment, LLC; Aurelius Opportunities Fund, LLC; Lex Claims LLC; Ad Hoc Group of General Obligation Bondholders; Cyrus Capital Partners, L.P.; Taconic Capital Advisors, L.P.; Whitebox Advisors LLC; Scog- gin Management LP; Tilden Park Capital Manage- ment LP; Aristeia Capital, LLC; Canyon Capital Advisors, LLC; Decagon Holdings 1, LLC; Decagon Holdings 2, LLC; Decagon Holdings 3, LLC; Decagon Holdings 4, LLC; Decagon Holdings 5, LLC; Decagon Holdings 6, LLC; Decagon Holdings 7, LLC; Decagon Holdings 8, LLC; Decagon Holdings 9, LLC; Decagon Holdings 10, LLC; Fideicosmiso Plaza; Jose F. Rodri- guez-Perez; Cyrus Opportunities Master Fund II, Ltd.; Cyrus Select Opportunities Master Fund, Ltd.; Cyrus Special Strategies Master Fund, L.P.; Taconic iii Master Fund 1.5 LP; Taconic Opportunity Master Fund LP; Whitebox Asymmetric Partners, L.P.; Whitebox Institutional Partners, L.P.; Whitebox Multi-Strategy Partners, L.P.; Whitebox Term Credit Fund I L.P.; Scoggin International Fund, Ltd.; Scog- gin Worldwide Fund Ltd.; Tilden Park Investment Master Fund LP; Varde Credit Partners Master, LP; Varde Investment Partners, LP; Varde Investment Partners Offshore Master, LP; Varde Skyway Master Fund, LP; Pandora Select Partners, L.P.; SB Special Situation Master Fund SPC; Segregated Portfolio D; CRS Master Fund, L.P.; Crescent 1, L.P.; Canery SC Master Fund, L.P.; Merced Partners Limited Part- nership; Merced Partners IV, L.P.; Merced Partners V, L.P.; Merced Capital, LP; Aristeia Horizons, LP; Golden Tree Asset Management LP; Old Bellows Partners LLP; and River Canyon Fund Management, LLC; Union de Trabajadores de la Industria Eléctrica y Riego de Puerto Rico, Inc. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Opinions Below ............................................................ 1 Jurisdiction .................................................................. 1 Constitutional and Statutory Provisions Involved ..... 1 Introduction ................................................................. 2 Statement ..................................................................... 4 Summary of Argument .............................................. 11 Argument ................................................................... 15 I. The Appointments Clause does not constrain Congress when it creates territorial offices under Article IV. ................................................... 15 A. Territorial governments established under Article IV need not conform to structural separation-of-powers constraints that dictate how the federal government must be organized. ................................................... 16 B. The Appointments Clause does not govern Congress’s establishment of territorial offices under Article IV. .................................. 22 C. Historical practice confirms that the Appointments Clause does not apply to territorial officials. .......................................... 26 1. Since the Founding, Congress has structured territorial governments without regard to the Appointments Clause. ........................................................ 28 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page 2. Current territorial and D.C. governance regimes do not comply with the Appointments Clause. ............................... 33 D. The court of appeals’ contrary arguments are irreconcilable with this Court’s precedents and historical practice. ................. 36 1. The court of appeals’ attempts to distinguish this Court’s Article IV precedents are unavailing. ........................ 37 2. Administration of a federal statute does not make Article IV officials “officers of the United States.” .................................... 39 3. Historical practice refutes the court of appeals’ decision. ....................................... 41 II. The Board members are territorial officials who need not be appointed in accordance with the Appointments Clause. .................................... 46 A. Territorial offices created under Article IV and imbued with strictly local authority are not subject to the Appointments Clause. ....... 46 B. The Board members are territorial officers, not officers “of the United States.” ................. 48 Conclusion .................................................................. 57 vi TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES PAGE(S) American Insurance Co. v. 356 Bales of Cotton, 26 U.S. 511 (1828) ............................passim Barnes v. District of Columbia, 91 U.S. 540 (1875) ................................................ 55 Benner v. Porter, 50 U.S. 235 (1850) .......................................... 23, 54 Binns v. United States, 194 U.S. 486 (1904) .......................................passim Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) .................................................. 39 Cincinnati Soap Co. v. United States, 301 U.S. 308 (1937) .......................................passim Clinton v. Englebrecht, 80 U.S. 434 (1871) .........................................passim District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., 346 U.S. 100 (1953) .............................................. 17 Edmond v. United States, 520 U.S. 651 (1997) .................................. 13, 25, 26 First Nat’l Bank v. Yankton Cty., 101 U.S. 129 (1879) ........................................ 12, 17 Free Enter. Fund v. Pub. Co. Accounting Oversight Bd., 561 U.S. 477 (2010) ...................... 25 Freytag v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 501 U.S. 868 (1991) ........................passim vii Gundy v. United States, 139 S. Ct. 2116 (2019) .......................................... 20 INS v. Chadha, 462 U.S. 919 (1983) .............................................. 38 J.W. Hampton, Jr., & Co. v. United States, 276 U.S. 394 (1928) .............................................. 28 Keller v. Potomac Elec. Power Co., 261 U.S. 428 (1923) .............................................. 48 Lucia v. SEC, 138 S. Ct. 2044 (2018) ...................................passim McAllister v. United States, 141 U.S. 174 (1891) .......................................passim Metropolitan R.R. Co. v. District of Columbia, 132 U.S. 1 (1889) ................................ 55 NLRB v. Noel Canning, 134 S. Ct. 2550 (2014) .......................................... 27 Ortiz v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 2165 (2018) ...................................passim Palmore v. United States, 411 U.S. 389 (1973) .......................................passim Printz v. United States, 521 U.S. 898 (1997) .............................................. 45 Puerto Rico v. Franklin Cal. Tax-Free Tr., 136 S. Ct. 1938 (2016) ......................... 4, 52, 54 Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle, 136 S. Ct. 1863 (2016) ...................................passim Simms v. Simms, 175 U.S. 162 (1899) .............................................. 16 viii Snow v. United States, 85 U.S. 317 (1873) .........................................passim United States v. Germaine, 99 U.S. 508 (1878) ................................................ 23 United States v. Heinszen, 206 U.S. 370 (1907) .......................................passim Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc. v. Zaragoza- Gómez, 174 F. Supp. 3d 585 (D.P.R. 2016) ........................................................... 4 Waller v. Florida, 397 U.S. 387 (1970) .............................................. 55 Wellness Int’l Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, 135 S. Ct. 1932 (2015) .......................................... 25
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Study of the Significant Relationships Between the United States and Puerto Rico Since 1898
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1946 A Study of the Significant Relationships Between the United States and Puerto Rico Since 1898 Mary Hyacinth Adelson Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Adelson, Mary Hyacinth, "A Study of the Significant Relationships Between the United States and Puerto Rico Since 1898" (1946). Master's Theses. 26. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/26 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1946 Mary Hyacinth Adelson A STUDY OF THE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND PUERTO RICO SINCE 1898 By Sister Mary Hyacinth Adelson, O.P. A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements tor the Degree ot Master ot Arts in Loyola University June 1946 TABLB OF CONTBNTS CHAPTER PAGE I. PUERTO RICO: OUR LATIN-AMERICAN POSSESSION • • • • 1 Geographical features - Acquisition of the island - Social status in 1898. II. GOVERNMENT IN PUERTO RICO • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 Military Government - Transition from Spanish regime to American control - Foraker Act - Jones Bill - Accomplishments of American occupation. III. PROGRESS IN PUERTO RICO • • • • • • • • • • • • • 35 Need for greater sanitation - Education since 1898 - Agricultural problems - Commercial re­ lations - Industrial problems - Go~ernmental reports. IV. PUERTO RICO TODAY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 66 Attitude of Puerto Ricans toward independence - Changing opinions - Administration of Tugwell.
    [Show full text]
  • Yo Soy Boricua”: Tapping Into the Strength of the Puerto Rican Community to Reclaim Control Over Its Political, Social, and Economic Future*
    “YO SOY BORICUA”: TAPPING INTO THE STRENGTH OF THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY TO RECLAIM CONTROL OVER ITS POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC FUTURE* ARTICLE EAMON J.P. RILEY,** DAVID J. YOVANOFF,*** JONATHAN J. REYES COLÓN**** Introduction – The Perfect Storm............................................................................ 973 I. Maria Reveals the Harsh Reality of Puerto Rico’s Second Class Status ................................................................................................................... 975 II. Puerto Rico’s Political Heritage ....................................................................... 976 A. The Colonial Era Under American Rule .................................................... 976 B. Creation of the Commonwealth ................................................................. 979 C. Puerto Rico on the International Political Stage ....................................... 981 III. PROMESA’s Neocolonial Tendencies .............................................................. 982 A. Key Aspects and Powers of PROMESA ....................................................... 983 B. Amending PROMESA to Protect Puerto Rico’s Municipal Power ............................................................................................................ 986 IV. Homegrown Economy for Puerto Rico: Using the Community Economic Development Model to Localize Necessary Economic Goods .................................................................................................................. 988 * This article
    [Show full text]
  • Language Attitudes Towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico
    Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica ISSN: 0377-628X ISSN: 2215-2628 [email protected] Universidad de Costa Rica Costa Rica Language Attitudes Towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico González-Rivera, Melvin Language Attitudes Towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica, vol. 47, núm. 2, e47006, 2021 Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica Disponible en: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33266553015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15517/rfl.v47i2.47006 Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 3.0 Internacional. PDF generado a partir de XML-JATS4R por Redalyc Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto Melvin González-Rivera. Language Attitudes Towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico Lingüística Language Attitudes Towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico Actitudes lingüísticas hacia el español y el inglés en Puerto Rico Melvin González-Rivera DOI: https://doi.org/10.15517/rfl.v47i2.47006 Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez , Puerto Rico Redalyc: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa? [email protected] id=33266553015 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9630-7338 Recepción: 17 Abril 2020 Aprobación: 29 Junio 2020 Abstract: is article analyzes language attitudes towards Spanish and English in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since 1898, and seek to answer the following three questions: are Spanish and English conflicting elements in the Puerto Rican society? Is Spanish a symbol of identity for Puerto Ricans? Does bilingualism represent a threat to the ethno-sociolinguistic existence of Puerto Ricans? By examining an online questionnaire on language attitudes completed by participants living in Puerto Rico, I argue that for Puerto Ricans bilingualism is becoming more prevalent and many of them are increasingly accepting both languages, Spanish and English, without questioning or denying the fact that Spanish is their mother tongue.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Status of Puerto Rico: Options for Congress
    Political Status of Puerto Rico: Options for Congress R. Sam Garrett Specialist in American National Government June 7, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL32933 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Political Status of Puerto Rico: Options for Congress Summary The United States acquired the islands of Puerto Rico in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. In 1950, Congress enacted legislation (P.L. 81-600) authorizing Puerto Rico to hold a constitutional convention and in 1952, the people of Puerto Rico ratified a constitution establishing a republican form of government for the island. After being approved by Congress and the President in July 1952 and thus given force under federal law (P.L. 82-447), the new constitution went into effect on July 25, 1952. Puerto Rico is subject to congressional jurisdiction under the Territorial Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Over the past century, Congress passed legislation governing Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States. For example, residents of Puerto Rico hold U.S. citizenship, serve in the military, are subject to federal laws, and are represented in the House of Representatives by a Resident Commissioner elected to a four-year term. Although residents participate in the presidential nominating process, they do not vote in the general election. Puerto Ricans pay federal tax on income derived from sources in the mainland United States, but they pay no federal tax on income earned in Puerto Rico. The Resident Commissioner may vote in committees but is not permitted to vote in, or preside over, either the Committee of the Whole or th the House in the 112 Congress.
    [Show full text]
  • Honorable Thomas Rivera Schatz President of the Senate of Puerto Rico Senado‐El Capitolio P.O
    Honorable Thomas Rivera Schatz President of the Senate of Puerto Rico Senado‐El Capitolio P.O. Box 9023431 San Juan, PR 00902‐3431 April 19, 2017 Dear Mr. President of the Senate of Puerto Rico Recently you signed an administrative order limiting the civil and human rights of transgender individuals in Puerto Rico. Banning our Puerto Rican transgender brothers and sisters, who are Senate employees, from using the restroom and wardrobe that corresponds to their gender identity is a step backwards in the civil rights movements and struggles for equality. We have seen substantial progress in response to protections of communities already marginalized and targeted by discrimination, hatred, homophobia and transphobia around the world. For far too long Transgender & Gender Non‐Conforming (TGNC) citizens have not been explicitly protected under Human Rights Law. In a national transgender survey just released a few months ago, it was found that: • 29% of the respondents were living in poverty. That is two (2) times the rate of the U.S. population! • 30% reported being fired, denied a promotion, or mistreated on the job • 15% were unemployed. That is three (3) times higher than the national average (5%). Transgender people of color were unemployed at four (4) times the average! • 16% reported owning a home. That compares to a 63% average nationwide • 30% reported being homeless at one time in their life • 70% of those using a homeless shelter reported some form of mistreatment • 80% of LGBTQ students, mostly transgender students, are harassed in school throughout their lifetime • Is it any wonder that 40% of the respondents had attempted suicide? Transgender and gender non‐conforming communities are in need of permanent explicit protections from harmful discrimination in housing and employment, and the same access to government‐owned facilities, and services afforded to the general public and to the services of privately owned businesses.
    [Show full text]
  • Department of State Bulletin ;
    — : ; ' ; : and constructive disarmament negotiations. We of force against the territorial integrity or political inde- hope for positive and tangible response from the pendence of any State, or in any other manner incon- Soviet Government when the Disarmament Com- sistent with the purposes of the United Nations. The aim of a system of world-wide disarmament is to mission resumes its work. prevent war and release the world's Imman and economic The resolution as adopted by the Political resources for the purposes of peace, Committee does not in any way preclude the sub- 1. Takes 7vote of the report of the Disarmament Com- mission [and commends the Commission mission by the Soviet Government in the Dis- for its efforts to curry out the instructions laid down by the General armament Commission of any proposals the Soviet Assembly at its sixth regular session] ; Government, or any other member for that matter, 2. Reafflrms General Assembly resolution 502 (VI) desires to put forward. For our part, we pledge and requests the Disarmament Commission to continue its work for the development ourselves to continue to work constructively for by the United Nations of comprehensive and co-ordinated plans providing for a genuinely safeguarded .system of disarmament and at the same time to give sympathetic and (a) the regulation, limitation and balanced reduction of all armed forces and armaments; honest consideration to any concrete and practical (b) the elimination and prohibition of all major proposals which the Soviet Government may make weapons, including bacteriological, adaptable to mass toward this end. destruction (c) the effective international control of atomic energy to ensure the prohibition of atomic weapcjiis and the use of atomic energy for i)eaceful purposes Text of Resolution only.
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Court of the United States ______
    No. 20-303 In the Supreme Court of the United States __________________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Petitioner, v. JOSE LUIS VAELLO-MADERO, Respondent. __________________ On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit __________________ BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE SENATE OF PUERTO RICO IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENT __________________ EDWIN QUIÑONES Counsel of Record QUIÑONES, ARBONA & CANDELARIO Chubb Plaza, Suite 701-A San Juan, P.R. 00922 (787) 620-6776 [email protected] Becker Gallagher · Cincinnati, OH · Washington, D.C. · 800.890.5001 i QUESTION PRESENTED Whether Congress violated the equal-protection component of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment by establishing Supplemental Security Income—a program that provides benefits to needy aged, blind, and disabled individuals—in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands pursuant to a negotiated covenant, but not extending it to Puerto Rico. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS QUESTION PRESENTED.................... i TABLE OF AUTHORITIES................... iii INTEREST OF THE AMICUS CURIAE ......... 1 SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT..............2 ARGUMENT............................... 3 I. Congress discriminates against U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico by excluding them from the SSI program based on race and/or national origin......................... 3 a. The Insular Cases................... 4 b. Equal Protection.....................5 II. Califano v. Torres, 435 U.S. 1 (1978) and Harris v. Rosario, 446 U.S. 651 (1980) are not dispositive in this case............... 7 III. The First Circuit is correct in determining that U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico have been discriminated against when excluded from the SSI program.......... 10 CONCLUSION.............................14 iii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES Adarand Constructors, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Testimony of Senator Eduardo Bhatia Minority Leader –Senate of Puerto Rico Before the Committee on Natural Resources U.S
    TESTIMONY OF SENATOR EDUARDO BHATIA MINORITY LEADER –SENATE OF PUERTO RICO BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES “PROMESA: Discussion Draft” October 22, 2019 Good morning, Chairman Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop, and Members of the Committee. Thank you for the invitation to participate in today’s hearing to discuss potential amendments to the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act of 2016 (“PROMESA”).1 My name is Eduardo Bhatia Gautier. I am a former president of the Senate of Puerto Rico (2013-2016), and currently serve as the minority leader for the Popular Democratic Party. On behalf of the people of Puerto Rico, we welcome the opportunity to have a constructive dialogue with you and your colleagues on PROMESA. From the outset, it is important to underscore that I have always been opposed to the imposition by Congress of an undemocratic fiscal control board for the Government of Puerto Rico.2 As the former president of the Senate of Puerto Rico, I advocated for a comprehensive framework that would give Puerto Rico the tools it needed to reach a resolution with creditors and adjust its debts to a sustainable level. Recognizing that debt restructuring alone would be an insufficient path to Puerto Rico’s recovery from its long-standing fiscal and economic crisis, together with multiple experts, I also encouraged Congress to address Puerto Rico’s inequitable health care financing structure and adopt legislative measures promoting sustained economic growth. Regrettably, Congress did not heed such advice. It opted for a colonial and paternalistic approach that focused exclusively on fiscal adjustment, and by doing so, effectively stripped the people of Puerto Rico from the limited autonomy recognized pursuant to Public Act 600 of 1950 and Public Act 447 of 1952.3 My testimony today will first provide you with a general overview of the principal mistakes of PROMESA and then proceed to demonstrate why they are at the root of your concerns in proposing these amendments.
    [Show full text]
  • 106Th Congress 305
    GUAM 106th Congress 305 Ralph E. Shikes Bicentennial Fellow, Harvard Law School, 1987; Visiting Phi Beta Kappa Scholar, 1985; Visiting Fellow, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, spring 1984; Distinguished Public Service Award, Center for National Policy, 1985; Chancellor's Distinguished Lecturer, University of California Law School (Boalt Hall) at Berke- ley, 1981; Yale Law School Association Citation of Merit Medal to the Outstanding Alumnus of the Law School, 1980; Harper Fellow, Yale Law School, 1976, (for ``a person . who has made a distinguished contribution to the public life of the nation . .''); Rockefeller Foun- dation, trustee, 1982±90; Community Foundation of Greater Washington, board; Yale Corpora- tion, 1982±88; Council on Foreign Relations; Overseas Development Council; U.S. Committee to Monitor the Helsinki accords; Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia; boards of Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change and Environmental Law Institute; Workplace Health Fund; com- mittees: Government Reform; Transportation and Infrastructure; subcommittees: Aviation; Civil Service; ranking member, District of Columbia; Economic Development, Public Buildings, Haz- ardous Materials, and Pipeline Transportation; vice chair, Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues; divorced; two children: John and Katherine; elected to the 102nd Congress on November 6, 1990; reelected to each succeeding Congress. Office Listings http://www.house.gov/norton 1424 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515±5100 ..................
    [Show full text]
  • Senate of Puerto Rico SENATE of PUERTO RICO
    Senate of Puerto Rico SENATE OF PUERTO RICO CAPITOL I, JOSÉ A. NAZARIO ALVAREZ, Secretary of the Senate of Puerto Rico, CERTIFY: That the Senate of Puerto Rico, in its session of April 22, 2002, approved in final voting, the Resolution of the Senate Number 1582, presented by Mr. Fas Alzamora, which reads as follows: RESOLUTION Express the adhesion of the Senate of the Free Associated State of Puerto Rico to the principles declared in the Earth Charter and support all the efforts conducting to the adoption of the Charter by of the United Nations at the Second Earth Summit to be celebrated in Johannesburg, South Africa in September, 2002. REASONS In 1987, the World Commission of the United Nations for Environment and Development made a call upon the creation of a charter of principles to establish the fundamental basis for a sustainable development. The adoption of which was one of the goals that were not accomplished at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. In 1994, the General Secretariat of the Summit and Green Cross International, began a new task for the adoption of the Earth Charter by the United Nations. The official launch of the Earth Charter was held on June , 2000 at the Peace Palace in The Hague. The Earth Charter is a declaration of basic principles inspired in international law and human rights, contemporary science and religious and philosophical dogmas with the purpose of building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society. In its Preamble, the Charter called upon all peoples to recognize that in the midst of the magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms, we are one human family and a sole terrestrial community with a common destiny.
    [Show full text]
  • RESOLUTION in SUPPORT of a VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH INVESTIGATION and CREATION of a VETERANS COURT in PUERTO Director RICO Wendell M
    The Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference 22 Cortlandt Street, Fl. 22 New York, NY 10007 T: (212) 482-2320 F: (212) 587-4188 www.csg-erc.org Co-Chairs Senator Theresa Gerratana Connecticut RESOLUTION, # MV-2017-01 Representative Kevin Ryan Deputy Speaker Connecticut RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF A VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH INVESTIGATION AND CREATION OF A VETERANS COURT IN PUERTO Director RICO Wendell M. Hannaford Whereas, the men and women of Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands have served honorably in the United States armed forces for more than 118 years, beginning in 1899, following the Spanish American War and subsequent occupation of the island, and Whereas, the men and women of Puerto Rico upon returning home are suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and other mental health issues related to their military service, and Whereas, there is an uncertain number of registered veterans living in Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands with many more unaccounted for, and Whereas, the number of veterans diagnosed and undiagnosed with mental health disorders and cognitive impairments persist, and Whereas, an alarming number of these veterans are appearing in the courts to face charges that might be in connection to PTSD, TBI, MST and other related issues, and Whereas, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide accurate precise numbers of the veterans population of Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands, and Whereas, Veterans courts are deemed a necessary solution-based approach to the increased misuse of drugs and trauma based incidents which occurred during military service, and Whereas, the Senate of Puerto Rico is presently investigating the status of the mental health situation and services provided to Veterans and the adequacy of establishing specialized Veteran’s Courts in the Island.
    [Show full text]
  • Equally American Calls on Supreme Court to End Supplemental Security Income Discrimination in U.S
    Equally American Calls on Supreme Court to End Supplemental Security Income Discrimination in U.S. Territories Pdf Published On September 08, 2021 05:26 AM Staff Consortium | September 08, 2021 05:26:39 AM 1 By GETTY IMAGES Equally American, which advocates for equality and civil rights in U.S. territories, joined with the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Puerto Rico, Demos, and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs to file an amicus brief before the Supreme Court in support of extending federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to residents of U.S. territories who would otherwise be eligible but for the place they call home, according to a release issued Tuesday. The brief was one of more than a dozen filed in support of Vaello Madero, who the federal government sued in 2017 to recover SSI payments it had made to him after he moved from New York to Puerto Rico. Under federal law, otherwise eligible residents of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa are excluded from national SSI benefits enjoyed by every other American. “Denying some of the most vulnerable citizens critical federal benefits based solely on where they happen to live isn’t just wrong, it’s unconstitutional,” said Neil Weare, president of Equally American. “No other American community would accept this kind of discrimination, and residents of the territories shouldn’t have to either.” Other Amicus Briefs in support of Mr. Vaello Madero currently filed include: Brief for AARP, Justice in Aging, and National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives Brief Of SEIU, AFSCME, AFT, and UAW Brief for Public Benefits Scholars Brief of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Brief for Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi and the New Progressive Party Brief of the Hon.
    [Show full text]