Status Bill Moves to House

A congressional ballot bill that would allow Puerto Rico residents to vote on the island’s political status has moved to the U.S. House floor after committee members last week approved the measure.

The House Committee on Natural Resources passed the initiative in a vote of 30 to 8, with two amendments.

The changes would require Puerto Rico to absorb the entire cost of holding the plebiscites and to offer ballots in English as well as in Spanish. The bill has 161 co-sponsers. Carlos Sanchez, spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is reviewing the measure.

“Speaker Pelosi understands how critical this issues is for all Puerto Ricans,” Sanchez said in an e-mail. “As this legislation moves forward, the speaker will work with all of the stakeholders involved to reach a consensus.”

If approved by Congress, HR 2499 would enable Puerto Rico to hold two referendums.

The first would ask residents if they prefer a change in the commonwealth’s political status. If a majority of voters select a change, the island would then hold a second plebiscite where residents would choose one of three options: independence, sovereignty in association with the U.S. — in which Puerto Rico would no longer be a territory — and statehood.

If a referendum determines that a majority of Puerto Ricans prefer statehood, Congress would be required to act before the island becomes the 51st state in the union, according to a committee spokesperson.

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