Residents of Puerto Rico excluded from Supplemental Security Income 3:41
(CNN Spanish) --
The United States House of Representatives unveiled this Thursday the draft of a project that, if it becomes law, would promote the holding of a plebiscite on the status of Puerto Rico on November 5, 2023. The bill seeks to offer the island's voters the options of statehood, independence and sovereignty in free association.
Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States since 1952, under the formula of Commonwealth.
Its inhabitants are US citizens and can vote in the primaries of political parties, but they can only do so in general elections if they move to one of the 50 states of the country or the District of Columbia.
Supreme Court rules that residents of Puerto Rico do not have a constitutional right to some federal benefits
The draft of the project was announced at a press conference in Washington by Steny Hoyer, leader of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, who was accompanied by several Hispanic legislators and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in Washington, Jenniffer González.
During the press conference, Representative Hoyer stated: “After months of negotiations, the Puerto Rico Status Law project represents an effort by the different sponsors of various projects to come together and reach a compromise that would be supported by the majority. Of the members.
I want to congratulate our members who have worked on this issue for years.
I believe that the bill represents what can be achieved when both parties come together, negotiate in good faith and reach a consensus on an issue that is important to us and to the people of Puerto Rico.”
Governor Pedro Pierluisi, who supports statehood for the island, approved the House draft and called for the measure to be approved.
advertising
In a written statement, Pierluisi stated: "We have before us a bill that offers American citizens residing in Puerto Rico real non-colonial options and in which congressmen commit to upholding the will of the people."
Last year, the Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives considered two bills to hold status plebiscites in Puerto Rico, but they did not have the necessary votes to be approved and sent to the Senate.
The legislative process is just beginning and even if it were approved in the House of Representatives, the draft could face greater resistance in the Senate, controlled by the Republicans.
It also plays against a tight calendar, just in a year of legislative elections.
The proposal provides for the plebiscite to be called for November 5, 2023. If there is no absolute majority in favor of any of the alternatives, a round will be held in March 2024, between the two that have received the highest number of votes.
Puerto Rico is getting ready for a new blackout 3:28
The president of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), José Luis Dalmau, who supports the political formula of the Commonwealth, expressed in written statements that “I have been consistent and consistent in explaining to the members of the federal congress and to Puerto Ricans that the Popular Party Democrat will not endorse the legislative approval in Puerto Rico that makes possible a federal consultation of a measure that leaves out the Commonwealth as an option for political status and political relationship of Puerto Ricans with the United States.”
Meanwhile, the president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, Juan Dalmau, supported the federal initiative.
“The fact that for the first time Congress is considering a project that seeks to overcome the current territorial condition is a step forward.
This is the first time in history that Congress considers a bill that excludes territorial status (the Commonwealth) to address the issue of status and I think that is an important step.”
The last plebiscite that took place in Puerto Rico was on November 3, 2020. The result was not binding and sought to know if Puerto Ricans supported statehood.
The alternatives to answer were "yes" or "no".
The "yes", in favor of the annexation of the island as a new state of the United States, obtained the majority, with 52.52% of the votes.
In July 2020, the United States Department of Justice had ruled out validating the plebiscite consultation proposed by the government of Puerto Rico, stating that it was not clear that the island's voters had at any time rejected the territorial status of the island of Puerto Rico. Commonwealth.
The then Deputy Secretary of Justice of the United States, Jeffrey A. Rosen, sent a communication to the then president of the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico, Juan Ernesto Dávila Rivera, confirming his position regarding the consultation.
