52:16A-123 Findings, declaration relative to the New Jersey Puerto Rico Commission.

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. Approximately 5.1 million Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin resided in the 50 states of the United States and in the District of Columbia prior to the devastation of Hurricane Maria; and

b. The number is significantly greater than Puerto Rico's population of 3.6 million, which was in decline due to out-migration before Hurricane Maria; and

c. The storm made landfall on September 20, 2017, and caused a degree of destruction and disorganization rarely experienced in American history, so that months after the storm abated, many of the island's residents still lack access to electricity and clean water; and

d. Hurricane Maria was a worst-case scenario from a meteorological standpoint, as the center of the huge Category 5 hurricane passed directly over Puerto Rico with wind and rain lasting over 30 hours; and

e. Hurricane Maria exhibited many of the elements of a catastrophic event, not just a disaster, as catastrophic events are rarer than disasters because they result in the destruction of critical infrastructure over a large swath of land, which is exactly what happened in Puerto Rico; and

f. Though the true extent of Hurricane Maria's damage to Puerto Rico is still being assessed, there are some indications of what the long term effects of it will be, including: predictions that the island's economy will shrink by about eight percent in 2018, thus making Puerto Rico among the slowest growing economies in the world; thousands of businesses have been unable to open due to continuing electrical blackouts months after the storm; and over 200,000 people have left the island; and

g. Approximately 500,000 persons of Puerto Rican descent live in New Jersey, which is the third-largest Puerto Rican population of any state, and it is estimated that approximately 30,000 displaced Puerto Ricans have come to New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Maria; and

h. New Jersey recognizes its moral obligation to provide relief to all Americans in distress who come to our State; and

i. This State is committed to contributing to the stabilization of Puerto Rico, so that those who wish to return to their homes on the island will have an opportunity to do so and to find a safe, stable, and sustainable environment in which they can raise a family, educate their children, find gainful employment, and enjoy a level of services similar in quality to those with which New Jersey is blessed.

L.2019, c.284, s.1.