During the months preceding the presentation and discussion of the different projects that gave shape to the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) in Congress, various representatives and senators directly related with these measures received donations in key dates, an issue that may raise questions.

Such donations came forth from Political Action Committees (PAC's) belonging to businesses, companies, workers organizations and federal entities that lobbied directly in favor of those projects that would end up within PROMESA (including, in some occasions, for all of them). Many employees from these companies contributed individually as well to support the candidatures of the congressmen and senators associated with the legal text that would define the future of Puerto Rico. 'Individual contributions' are a form of speech protected under the federal Constitution, and the intention and objective of these are not disclosed in related reports.

The following is a breakdown of some of these donations, and the political leaders that received them.

Paul Ryan: Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States and one of the leading figures in the Republican Party, received donations from PAC's headed by Honeywell International, Bristol-Meyers Squib. Co Employee, and United Techologies during the 20th and 21st of april 2016. These contributions sum up to a total of $9,000. Such quantities were donated a mere ten days after the presentation of H.R. 4900 – PROMESA in the Lower House. It wasn't even referred to any committee. Strongly criticized for opening the possibility of debt restructuring (including bankruptcy) of public agencies as well as the government of Puerto Rico, it had to be re-written.

However, two workers from New York Life Insurance, the biggest health insurance company in the country, who lobbied in favor of H.R 5278 PROMESA and S.2328: PROMESA, made important donations to Paul Ryan in relevant dates. James C. Powell, an investment banker, donated $1,500 to the Speaker's candidacy two days after the presentation of H.R. 5278 PROMESA in Congress and its subsequent referral to different commissions. Another employee, the broker Carrie Hall, gave $1,000 on June the 3rd, a day that heralded the first series of amendments produced by the House Committee on Natural Resources, chaired by republican congressman, Rob Bishop.

Sean Duffy: Congressman from the 7th district of Wisconsin for the GOP in the House, considered to be the father of PROMESA (worked on H.R. 4900 and H.R. 5278), Duffy received multiple donations for his candidacy. The total of these, framed within the key period of negotiations for PROMESA, is upwards of $17,975. Of these it's worth noting that $2,000 was contributed by United Technologies two days after the Senate worked out its differences with the final version of the controversial law, while Citigroup donated $3,000 the same day president Barack Obama signed the bill into law. That same day, Allstate Insurance also gave Duffy $2,000.

Orrin Hatch: The republican senator from Utah, who chaired de Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico charged with developing a plan to thrust forward the debilitated island economy, received $1,000 from AES Corp. one day after PROMESA's presidential approval. Hatch also received donations from PAC's belonging to New York Life Insurance, AES Corp., AT<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>&T and Coca Cola that amounted to $7,000 between the 23rd of march and the 21st of June 2016./p

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Rob Bishop: GOP congressman from District 1 of Utah, he recieved $2,500 from The Coca-Cola Company Nonpartisan Committee For Good Government on May 19th 2016, one day after H.R. 5278 PROMESA was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which he chairs as well. Between the 31st of May and the 1st of April 2016, he received two donations amounting $2,500 each from the multinational aerospace engineering company Honeywell International./p

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Frank James 'Jim' Sensenbrenner, Jr: Congressman from the 5th District of Wisconsin for the GOP, co-sponcor of H.R 5278 – PROMESA (which laid the foundation for the final bill), received $2,000 from Honeywell International a mere two days after PROMESA's approval into law./p

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San Graves: GOP congressman from the 6th District of Missouri, he authored one of the amendments for the bill H.R. 5278 – PROMESA. Within it he managed to secure federally funded public transportation as an essential service for Puerto Rico. It was approved and added through oral vote./p

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Graves recieved $1,000 from Alltate Insurance, an insurance company based in Illinois./p

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Bradley Roberts Byrne: GOP representantive for District1 Alabamapresented an amendment onJune 9 for H.R. 5278 PROMESA, which established18 months to submit a report onhow Puerto Rico reachedits insolvency. The amendment was approved andsubmittedfor oral vote./p

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Byrne received a donationfrom the UnitedTechnologies PAC for $4,500 onMay19, 2016, while theterms ofH.R. 5278 wereunder negotiation. Thatsame day, Praxair Inc. donated$1,000 for his campaign. On May 25, 2016, Honeywellcontributed $500. On June14, New York Life Insurance gave$2,500./p

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Interestingly, Michelle MS Dimarob, director of federal government affairs at the transnational food, beverage and tobacco company Altria, individually donated a total of $1,000 in two similar $ 500 matches. The interesting thing about both economic contributions are its dates: the first, on May 25, 2016, just 11 days before Byrne presented his mentioned amendment, and the second, on June 30, when the PROMESA Law was approved./p

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José Enrique Serrano: The representative of the 15th district of New York for the Democratic Party and a native of Mayagüez, was one of the top defenders of the rights of Puerto Ricans throughout the process of negotiation and approval of PROMESA. He presented an amendment to bill HR5278 - PROMESA, where he pursued, according to the text, 'to preserve the capacity of the Puerto Rico Commission for the Comprehensive Audit of Public Debt to continue its work in analyzing the legality of Certain debts issued by the Free State', an amendment that was approved by oral vote./p

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Unlike his Republican colleagues, Serrano was supported by PACs from different organizations and federal workers' associations. Thus, on April 18, 2016 he received $2,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the most important union of public service employees in the United States, who also represent retirees. Three days before the approval of PROMESA, this union sent him to his candidacy another $1,000./p

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However, Serrano received a greater number of individual contributions. Thus, between March 28 and June 28, 2016, the Democratic representative received a total of $ 15,775 through private donations that were processed through Act Blue, an NGO that has an online PAC that allows private stakeholders (and even groups) to donate through its platform. Because of this, the records of the Federal Election Commission do not show the names of those who donated, but indicates: 'Contribution through this organization'./p

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Norma Judith Torres: The representative of District 35 of California for the Democratic Party and native of Guatemala, was also one of the maximum defenders of the Puerto Rican citizens in the processes of negotiating PROMESA Law. Torres introduced an amendment to draft law H.R.5278 - PROMESA, which sought to eliminate the establishment of a minimum wage of $4.25 for all Puerto Ricans under 25, one of the most controversial clauses presented by Duffy. After a vote in the House, where 225 Republican votes were registered against 181 Democratic votes and 15 Republican votes in favor, the amendment has the sad recognition of being the only one that was rejected by its colleagues./p

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Torres received multiple donations from companies that lobbied for various bills prior to PROMESA. Among them is AMGEN, who donated $1,000 on May 31, 2016. However, contributions came mainly from workers' organizations and PACs from employees of the companies indicated. In this way, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers also donated to the campaign $5,000 on June 7, 2016, an entity that would repeat with the same amount in another donation on the 30th of that same month. The United Automobile Workers' Union, which represents both the United States and Canada and Puerto Rico, granted $2,500 to her candidacy on March 30, 2016./p

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Considering individual contributions, the scenario is the same as Serrano's case. Through Act Blue, and in the period from March 20 to June 30, 2016, Torres received a total of $5,750./p

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Brian Schatz: This Democratic Party senator for Hawaiiis one of the largest donor recruiters and co-sponsor of the latest bill that would give rise to PROMESA, the S. 2328./p

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It is particularly noteworthy the high volume of individual contributions Shatz received because they were issued through Act Blue, the origin of the same is unknown. Thus, between March 3 and June 30, 2016, the Democratic senator received a total of $10,945. However, just on the day of PROMESA'sapproval, he registered $4,355 in donations./p

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Despite these figures, it should be noted that most of these individual contributions processed through the NGO mentioned and addressed to Schatz's candidacy were limited to very small figures, which ran on average between $30 and $50./p