Stressing that it is the not legislation that he would have authored, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., is throwing his support behind a compromise bill aimed at helping Puerto Rico out of its still bubbling debt crisis.

"This is not the bill I would write and we are well aware that an oversight board will never be the first choice of many in Puerto Rico," Grijalva said in a statement about bill H.R. 5278. "This is a compromise, so of course there are aspects that cause me concern. But I am even more concerned about the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the island."

Treasury Department Stands Behind Plan

Grijalva stressed that the U.S. Treasury Department has assured legislators that the proposed combination of tighter supervision and debt restructuring will go a long way in aiding the government in its dogged efforts to put the island's finances back in order.

"I am pleased that the conveyance of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge has been removed from the bill, thanks to the support of my fellow Democrats, many conservation-minded groups in Puerto Rico, and other organization that rallied together to oppose this provision," he added.

Grijavala added he recently paid a three-day visit to the island, where he regularly conversed with government officials and community leaders about Puerto Rico's best way forward.

Zika Virus Rising Concern for Island People

Earlier this month, a report disclosed that the island's ongoing spending cuts is connected to rising fears that it could soon fall victim to the deadly Zika virus.

Publicly introduced on May 17, the Republican-sponsored bill is touted as giving Puerto Rico the resources it needs to dig its way out from under the massive $70 million in debt it now faces.

"Tonight we introduced legislation to responsibly address the crisis in Puerto Rico," said Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, adding that the bill only features "minor" changes from the previously proposed H.R. 4900 provision.

"The revised bill incorporates technical refinements and input from all stakeholders," he added. "Any future changes will be done in public committee meetings."

Besides blocking island workers from being able to take advantage of a new overtime law recently enacted by the U.S. Labor Department, other changes include language that makes clear the fiscal oversight board's latitude in prioritizing payments to bondholders.

Previously, the Treasury Department had demanded that all such language prioritize pensioners over creditors, a proposal Republicans sternly rejected as non-negotiable.

"PROMESA creates a firewall between the constitutionally protected creditor hierarchy and pensions in the development of Fiscal Plans," the committee stated in summary.

H.R. 5278 also discards provisions that would have allowed the transfer of federal land on the island of Vieques. It also paves the way for changes to a previous proposal that would have authorized Puerto Rico's governor to lower the island'sminimum wage to $4.25 an hour.

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