House passes Puerto Rico Democracy Act HR 2499

[Free Trade is managed by the invisible hand.]

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday approved legislation that could set in motion changes in Puerto Rico's 112-year relationship with the United States, including a transition to statehood or independence. The House bill would give the 4 million residents of the island commonwealth a two-step path to expressing how they envision their political future. It passed 223-169 and now must be considered by the Senate.

Initially, eligible voters, including those born in Puerto Rico but residing in the United States, would vote on whether they wish to keep their current political status or opt for a different direction.

If a majority are in favor of changing the current situation, the Puerto Rican government would be authorized to conduct a second vote and people would choose among four options: statehood, independence, the current commonwealth status or sovereignty in association with the United States. Congress would have to vote on whether Puerto Rico becomes a state.

Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's nonvoting delegate to the House, said that while the island has had votes on similar issues in the past, Congress has never authorized a process where Puerto Ricans state whether they should remain a U.S. territory or seek a nonterritorial status.

"The American way is to allow people to vote, to express themselves and to tell their elected officials how they feel about their political arrangements," said Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno at a news conference with Pierluisi. "For 112 years, we haven't had the chance ... to fully participate in one way or another in the decisions that affect our daily lives."

Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory at the end of the Spanish-American War. Those born on the island were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917 and Puerto Rico gained commonwealth status in 1952.

Today, Puerto Ricans serve in the military but can't vote in presidential elections. They do not pay federal income tax on income earned on the island.

In the last referendum, "none of the above" garnered 50 percent of the vote, topping the other options, including statehood at 46.5 percent and independence at 2.5 percent.

Some of those differences were evident among lawmakers of Puerto Rican background. Puerto Rico-born Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., whose parents were from Puerto Rico, strongly opposed the measure, saying it was designed to push a statehood agenda. "This is the Puerto Rico 51st state bill," said Gutierrez, an independence proponent. "The deck is stacked."

But another Puerto Rico-born lawmaker, Democrat Jose Serrano of New York, backed it. "I support it because for the first time in 112 years the people of Puerto Rico will have an opportunity to express themselves."

Opposition to the House bill included Republican concerns about the consequences of Puerto Rico, where Spanish, as well as English, is the official language, becoming a state. Republicans said Puerto Rico would get some six seats in the House, possibly at the expense of other states, and that statehood would impose further burdens on the federal Treasury.

Republicans, led by Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., unsuccessfully tried to attach a provision that ballots favoring statehood make clear that a Puerto Rican state would adopt English as its official language and abide by Second Amendment gun rights. The proposal was defeated 198-194.

Associated Press

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Yay!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

[Free Palestine]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

If Puerto Rico was mostly Republican (potentially) would you oppose statehood?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

If Puerto Rico was mostly Republican (potentially) would you oppose statehood?

Yes.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

Puerto Rico's Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate Majority Leader are PNP and Republican as well.  I'm sure if you had a poll today there would be more people who identify with Democrats on the mainland, but once the PNP folds into the state's GOP organization, we've got a shot.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

If Puerto Rico was mostly Republican (potentially) would you oppose statehood?

Yes.

Exactly......this is all 'get more Democratic votes'.

[King]

If it's anything like the Cuban or Mexican populous here, P.R. may be one of those Conservative Democrat states, too.  

I'd be interested to see what Puerto Rican statehood would do for it's economy.  If it came in today, it'd easily be our poorest state (GDP and Median income both ~10k less than Mississippi), but it being more directly involved in federal-state projects and interstate commerce could lead to boom.

And what would statehood mean for immigration?  With all the nations that surround it, P.R. might end up becoming the Ellis Island of Latin America if it were an official U.S. state.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

How many times have the people of Puerto Rico voted against statehood?

[Meeker]

There's no way Reid's going to take the time to get this through the Senate, so whatever.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

There's no way Reid's going to take the time to get this through the Senate, so whatever.

Bet a Martini (or your choice of drink) on it? 

[exopolitician]

I don't see the huge significance of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state. Let them decide, which I'm fairly sure they'll oppose.

[The Mikado]

There's no way Reid's going to take the time to get this through the Senate, so whatever.

Bet a Martini (or your choice of drink) on it? 

Given what we're talking about, you should be betting a drink with rum in it.

BRTD should realize that Puerto Rican statehood wouldn't be as wonderful to the Democrats as he might think.

I still support it because it's the right thing to do.

[Devilman88]

This is good news. I'm hoping that Puerto Rico wants to become a state, but if now oh well, it's their country.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I still support it because it's the right thing to do.

Yet the Puerto Ricans don't.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

This is good news. I'm hoping that Puerto Rico wants to become a state, but if now oh well, it's their country.

Not it's not....it's OUR possession.

[paul718]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

Is this a fact? 

[cinyc]

I don't see the huge significance of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state. Let them decide, which I'm fairly sure they'll oppose.

The problem is with the wording and order of the questions, which seems to disfavor keeping the status quo, even though that's what has been voted every time so far.  That, and the obnoxious provision requiring automatic revotes every 8 years, instead of leaving it up to Puerto Ricans to decide when to revisit the issue.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

If Puerto Rico was mostly Republican (potentially) would you oppose statehood?

Yes.

Moron.

[DariusNJ]

I did some Googling, I found this.

http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol2n06/hispanic-american-support.html

Puerto Ricans, according to a recent poll conducted by the Center For Research and Public Policy, embrace the same conservative values as the Republican Party.

# • The people of Puerto Rico are pro-family. Almost 83% support voluntary prayer, 78% support education vouchers.

They are conservative on eradicating crime: 88% support mandatory prison terms for those convicted of violent crimes.

# • Finally, they endorse economic growth and opportunity: By a two-to-one margin, they support a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced state budget with a limitation an tax increases


It sounds like it would be a pretty conservative state. But who knows, African Americans are conservative on social issues, and they vote 90\10 Democrat.

[The Mikado]

Most of those policies are already embraced by California. 

[MODU]

How many times have the people of Puerto Rico voted against statehood?

At least three times that I remember over the past 15 years.

[Marokai Backbeat]

How many times have the people of Puerto Rico voted against statehood?

At least three times that I remember over the past 15 years.

Hardly by significant margins though. The difference between statehood and the other option (it was different both times) during the last two referenda were 2-4%.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

How many times have the people of Puerto Rico voted against statehood?

At least three times that I remember over the past 15 years.

Hardly by significant margins though. The difference between statehood and the other option (it was different both times) during the last two referenda were 2-4%.

I guess the point is, PR is in no rush to become the 51st State or it could have been for some time now......so why the new push?

[Marokai Backbeat]

How many times have the people of Puerto Rico voted against statehood?

At least three times that I remember over the past 15 years.

Hardly by significant margins though. The difference between statehood and the other option (it was different both times) during the last two referenda were 2-4%.

I guess the point is, PR is in no rush to become the 51st State or it could have been for some time now......so why the new push?

Don't ask me, I don't really have a problem either way, but it would be neat to see a new state during my lifetime. Democrats seem to be rather strong on the representation front, when you think about it. I don't think it has any partisan motivations, as someone said before, PR is hardly a socialist haven.