Illinois’ Weller becomes go-to guy for Puerto Rico

“Rep. Jerry Weller, a sixth-term Republican who grew up on a family farm, represents a district in rural Illinois that’s a far cry from the sandy beaches of the Caribbean.

But in the past three years Weller has become Capitol Hill’s go-to guy for issues dear to the U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico, from getting more federal money for its hospitals to lowering a manufacturing tax that business interests say prevents U.S. companies from locating there.

Since catching the eye of Puerto Rican businessmen in 2003, flying to San Juan on their tab and raising more than $30,000 from them in campaign cash, Weller, a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, has been a key co-sponsor of a number of bills pushed by Puerto Rican interests.”

Stumble it! | |