On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers tried to lay the groundwork for Puerto Rico to become a state, introducing a bill that would establish a vote for residents to decide on state status and the election of their own senators and representatives.
The bill, presented by Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Representative Darren Soto of Florida, is supported by Puerto Rican Governor Pedro Pierluisi and Delegate Jenniffer González-Colón, the island’s resident commissioner. Its defenders argue that the federal government does not treat Puerto Rican citizens on an equal basis, something that the state would help rectify.
Soto says the project has about 50 co-sponsors. At a news conference on Tuesday, he pointed out the difficulties the island suffered, including the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and argued that residents deserve the same representation as all Americans.
“They have finally decided that it is enough, that their territorial status and second-class citizenship are not working and it is time for a change,” Soto told reporters.
Patrick Semansky / AP
But the bill contradicts a proposal written by Puerto Rican MPs Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last summer. The two outlined a panel of elected delegates who would decide what would be the best long-term solutions for the island, giving the options for independence or a state or territory status. Ocasio-Cortez wrote in an opinion piece on NBC News at the time that island residents should decide for themselves whether they wanted a state. “The key is that this framework is developed in Puerto Ricans and for Puerto Ricans, not dictated to them like so many previous policies “, wrote the two.
The proposal received an instant reaction from pro-state supporters in the House.
In November, residents of Puerto Rico voted 52 to 48 percent in favor of creating an immediate state in an electoral referendum. But the approval of the State of Puerto Rico by Congress is far from guaranteed. In the Senate, the measure would need 60 votes, and minority leader Mitch McConnell said that creating a state for the island would result in the election of two more Democratic senators, although there is no guarantee that this is the case.
Although the new bill does not address the $ 129 billion in debt that is crushing the island, González-Colón said that Puerto Rico currently does not have enough programs to “get out of poverty”.
“This is not a problem for the Republican Party. This is not a problem for the Democratic Party,” she said. “This is an issue of the rights of American citizens living in Puerto Rico that need to be heard.”