House Passes Bill Giving Puerto Rico the Right to Determine Its Own Future
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, which would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence. The bill passed with 233 votes in favor and 191 votes against, with the majority of votes coming from the Democratic side and some support from Republicans.The bill would provide Puerto Ricans with three options: statehood, independence, or independence with free association. If the option of statehood was chosen, then the Congress would commit to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state. If the option of independence was chosen, then the terms of foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship, and use of the U.S. dollar would be defined following negotiations.
The bill now goes to the split Senate, where it faces a ticking clock before the end of the year and Republican lawmakers who have long opposed statehood. It's uncertain whether the bill will pass in the Senate, but the vote in the House marks an important step towards the potential of Puerto Rico deciding its own future and possibly becoming the 51st state of the Union. [civildeadline.com]
Text of H.R 8393
1 comment:
Whatever option they choose, Puerto Rico will always be dependent on the US.
That's the way it has always been, and that's the way it will always be.
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