U.S. House Poised to Take Historic Vote on H.R. 2499 - Puerto Rico Democracy Act

WASHINGTON, April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. House is poised to vote today on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, a bill that would help bring America's promise of self-determination to the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico for the first time in 112 years, said Gov. Luis Fortuno (R-Puerto Rico).
"For the 112 years since Puerto Rico joined the United States as a territory, the question of our ultimate political status with our country has been a lingering question," said Gov. Fortuno. "The Puerto Rico Democracy Act would ask the people of Puerto Rico what they want the territory's political status to be through a fair, neutral and democratic process sponsored by Congress."
The question of Puerto Rico's ultimate status remains the U.S. territory's central, unresolved issue, and has consistently been a complicating factor in determining many federal policies for the island, Gov. Fortuno said. As an unincorporated territory, the four million U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico cannot vote for President, have no representation in the U.S. Senate and are represented in the U.S. House by one non-voting Resident Commissioner, he said.
Under H.R. 2499, the territorial government could conduct plebiscites asking voters if they wish to maintain or change the island's current political status. If a majority of voters want a change, a plebiscite could be held to ask their preference among the other three constitutionally valid options: independence, national sovereignty in association with the United States, and statehood.
H.R. 2499 is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 180 members of Congress. The bill is cost-neutral and non-binding, meaning a result in favor of any specific status change would be subject to further congressional consideration.
"A core premise of the bill is that Congress will be better able to decide what action, if any, is appropriate on the issue once it knows if Puerto Ricans want the current status, or one of the possible alternatives. I am hopeful that the U.S. House will approve this legislation and help bring true self-determination to the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico."
Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory for 112 years, and its residents have been U.S. citizens since 1917. With nearly 4 million residents, in population Puerto Rico is larger than Oregon, and slightly smaller than Kentucky.