Martin O'Malley will be the first presidential candidate, regardless of political party affiliation, to visit the commonwealth of Puerto Rico on Aug. 1. Former Maryland Gov. O'Malley's visit to Puerto Rico comes as the island faces healthcare issues and an economic crisis with $70 billion debt.

O'Malley will be meeting with Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's only non-voting elected official to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the commonwealth's House of Representatives Speaker Jaime Perelló to discuss the island's concerns. Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla will be at the National Governors Association meeting in Colorado, but his absence will not affect O'Malley visit and meetings with political and public figures.

O'Malley trip to Puerto Rico is the latest to connect with Latino voters. He addressed the National Council of Raza's (NCLR) annual conference in early July, organized by the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, and was involved in two immigration roundtable discussions with immigrant rights advocates in New York and Arizona.

July's Latino outreach continued when he revealed his immigration reform proposals, which would include an executive order on the first day in the White House to apply deferred action to eligible undocumented immigrants that would have been covered by the Senate's 2013 comprehensive immigration reform plan (S.774) and expand the naturalization process for more than eight million legal permanent residents in the U.S.

Among fellow presidential candidates, O'Malley has been the most vocal on addressing Puerto Rico's economic crisis. From the NCLR conference to other public statements, O'Malley said he's concerned about the "impending financial collapse" of the commonwealth and recognized Puerto Ricans are also U.S. citizens and they require help.

O'Malley voiced his support for Pierluisi's legislative efforts to allow Puerto Rico the equal benefit as the 50 states to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, as Pierluisi stated, which would the Puerto Rican government "the ability to authorize one or more of its insolvent public enterprises to work out a path forward with its creditors under the supervision of a federal bankruptcy judge based on federal substantive and procedural law."

In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said the Obama administration favors the same message O'Malley's has called for -- Congress to grant Puerto Rico Chapter 9 bankruptcy rights.

While the economy will be an important topic in discussions, O'Malley wants to address Puerto Rico's healthcare structure.

During a call with Latin Post, Gabi Domenzain, the O'Malley campaign's director of public engagement, said the Aug. 1 trip is to both learn and be better advocates for the fellow U.S. citizens on the island of nearly 3.6 million people. During the trip, O'Malley will visit the Millennium Institute For Advance Nursing Care.

"It's an elderly care facility that is being devastated by the fact that there is no healthcare equity," said Domenzain, noting Puerto Ricans are citizens equivalent to mainland Americans. "Puerto Ricans receive lower reimbursement rates on Medicare, Medicaid and under the Affordable Care Act. This doesn't make any sense and it's not fair and it's one of the main reasons Puerto Rico is on the verge of economic collapse."

With the Aug. 1 trip, O'Malley becomes the first presidential candidate among the 2016 field to visit Puerto Rico. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush visited Puerto Rico in April, however, he made the trip prior to his official GOP presidential bid on June 15.

Puerto Rico, as a U.S. territory, does not have any electoral votes for the general presidential election. The island, however, still plays a role in the primary election process.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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