On the recordDecember 18, 2015
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is facing a dire economic crisis, and our fellow Americans who live there need our help. Just now, I introduced the Puerto Rico Emergency Financial Stability Act, a bill that provides Puerto Rico some critical, temporary breathing room from creditor lawsuits until Congress acts. Puerto Rico urgently needs this respite while Congress considers restructuring legislation--legislation to provide the 3.5 million U.S. citizens that call Puerto Rico home the tools they need to comprehensively address the territory's unsustainable debt burden. Mr. Speaker, my parliamentary inquiry is: Is it in order for this bill to be considered and voted on by this House right now by unanimous consent? The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under guidelines consistently issued by successive Speakers, as recorded in section 956 of the House Rules and Manual, the Chair will not entertain a unanimous consent request for the consideration of a measure unless it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leaderships.
