Jenniffer Gonzalez Colón Promotes the Use of Federal Funds in Las Marías

Press Release

In support of strengthening the manufacturing industry in Puerto Rico and as part of her oversight of the use and disbursement of federal funds, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González Colón visited the municipality of Las Marías to work on these issues with Mayor Edwin Soto.

They visited the Propper International plant, which has contracts with the Department of Defense and manufactures uniforms and other military equipment such as backpacks and sleeping bags, to learn about its operations.

"This plant, which has been operating in Las Marías for 17 years, is one of the main attractions of the municipality. It has stood out for the excellent performance and quality of the work of its employees, placing them as one of the best in the needle industry. Now we will seek to expand the number of contracts and services that can be provided at this plant to promote the generation of jobs and the local economy," said the resident commissioner.

Popper also also have facilities in the municipalities of Hatillo, Cabo Rojo, Cidra and Lajas.

Thanks to federal funds under the DDEC Labor Development Program, Mayor Edwin Soto, within the Las Marías-Mayagüez Consortium, granted an incentive of $300,000 to the Second Act company, which opened in the midst of the pandemic, generating 100 jobs in the area already Propper International an incentive of $100,000 to generate 50 direct jobs.

The congresswoman also promoted the incentives for work (EITC) and the credit for minors (CTC) that now applies to parents with two children or less. These incentives, which go directly into the pockets of the people, were worked on by González Colón so that events could be extended to the island and would mean close to $7.5 million for the families of Las Marías. Within the EITC, individuals could receive between $1,091 to $4,814.

The commissioner met with the municipal directors and Mayor Edwin Soto to discuss how to advance development plans that the mayor has for the Municipality with federal funds.

In the afternoon, they visited several businesses and talked with their owners about how federal funds have helped them mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

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