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Natural Resources Committee Passes Puerto Rico Status Act, Makes History

July 20, 2022

The Puerto Rico Status Act details the transition to and implementation of a non-territory status for Puerto Rico — Statehood, Independence, or Sovereignty in Free Association with the United States — that is chosen by a majority of voters in Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a full committee markup, the House Natural Resources Committee passed H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, by a bipartisan vote of 25-20. The legislation was introduced by Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-03) with original cosponsors Reps. Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-07), and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05).

The Puerto Rico StatusAct details the transition to and implementation of a non-territory status for Puerto Rico — Statehood, Independence, or Sovereignty in Free Association with the United States — that is chosen by a majority of voters in Puerto Rico. This is the first time a Congressional Committee has passed a binding election to resolve the status of Puerto Rico. It is also recognition that the territorial status of Puerto Rico is unsustainable and cannot continue.

In his opening remarks, Soto said, "Today's the day. After 120 years. Our fellow Puerto Ricans back on the island who pledge allegiance to our flag, pay certain fed taxes already, and have served in our military all that time, dying for our country, for our freedom, for a country where they can't even vote for the president of the United States, their commander in chief.

Soto's full opening remarks are available here.

Background on the Puerto Rico Status Act

The Puerto Rico Status Act is the product of an extensive and deliberate negotiation process between the main sponsors of the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act (H.R. 1522) introduced by Rep. Soto and the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act(H.R. 2070) introduced by Rep. Velázquez. Last year, the Committee held two legislative hearings (hereand here) on both proposals with testimony and feedback from elected officials, legal and humans rights experts, and residents. Members and staff also held meetings with other stakeholders on the two bills.

In May, the cosponsors of the Puerto Rico Status Act, in addition to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) and Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi, announced the Discussion Draft of the Puerto Rico Status Act.

In addition to in-person opportunities for public input, the Committee launched an innovative online public input process using a submission tool called POPVOX, which allowed any member of the public to review the Discussion Draft text and provide input. The Committee received nearly 120 public comments, all of which were reviewed and considered for the bill's final language.

Details on the Puerto Rico Status Act

The Puerto Rico Status Act represents an offer from Congress to the people of Puerto Rico to determine their future with confidence that Congress will carry out its responsibility to implement the will of a clear majority of eligible voters in Puerto Rico. Key features of the bill include:

  • Authorizes a federally sponsored plebiscite to resolve Puerto Rico's political status.
  • Specifies and defines Puerto Rico's non-territorial status options: Independence, Sovereignty in Free Association with the United States, and Statehood.
  • Provides for an objective, nonpartisan, federally funded voter education campaign leading up to the vote.
  • Establishes a process and timeline for the U.S. Department of Justice to review the plebiscite voter education materials and plebiscite ballot design.
  • Authorizes necessary funds to carry out an initial plebiscite and, if necessary, a runoff plebiscite.
  • Describes the transition to and implementation of each status option in sufficient detail for eligible voters in Puerto Rico to make an informed choice about Puerto Rico's future political status.
  • Ensures the result of the plebiscite is binding and implements the option that is chosen by a majority of eligible voters in Puerto Rico.

The full text of the Puerto Rico Status Act is available here. The Committee has also published an unofficial Spanish translation of the Puerto Rico Status Act for the general public's convenience, available here. If there is any inconsistency between the English and Spanish versions of the bill text, the English version shall be the prevailing version.

A fact sheet on the bill is available in English here and in Spanish here.

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