Proposed political status for Puerto Rico

The unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico is one of the candidates to become the 51st state of the United States. In a 2012 status referendum a majority of voters supported statehood. There is currently an active Puerto Rico statehood movement to make this possible.

Status

Main articles: Political status of Puerto Rico and Commonwealth (United States insular area)

Since 1898, Puerto Rico has had limited representation in the Congress in the form of a Resident Commissioner, a nonvoting delegate. The 110th Congress returned the Commissioner's power to vote in the Committee of the Whole, but not on matters where the vote would represent a decisive participation. Puerto Rico has elections on the United States presidential primary or caucus of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party to select delegates to the respective parties' national conventions although presidential electors are not granted on the Electoral College. Puerto Ricans are American citizens, and as such, Puerto Ricans can vote in U.S. presidential elections. However, residents of Puerto Rico itself, cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, whether they are Puerto Rican, White American, Black American, Asian American, or Latino. The territory of Puerto Rico not being able to vote in U.S. presidential elections should not be construed as Puerto Ricans themselves not being able to vote in U.S. presidential elections. Puerto Ricans can vote for president provided they reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia and not in Puerto Rico itself.

Residents of Puerto Rico pay U.S. federal taxes: import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes, etc. Most Puerto Rico residents do not pay federal income tax but do pay federal payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare). However, federal employees, or those who do business with the federal government, Puerto Rico–based corporations that intend to send funds to the U.S. and others also pay federal income taxes. Puerto Ricans may enlist in the U.S. military. Puerto Ricans have fully participated in all U.S. wars since 1898; 52 Puerto Ricans have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as of Nov. 2012.

History

Puerto Rico has been under U.S. sovereignty for over a century, and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. Like the states, Puerto Rico has self-rule, a republican form of government organized pursuant to a constitution adopted by its people, and a bill of rights.

This constitution was created when the U.S. Congress directed local government to organize a constitutional convention to write the Puerto Rico Constitution in 1951. The acceptance of that constitution by Puerto Rico's electorate, the U.S. Congress, and the U.S. president occurred in 1952. In addition, the rights, privileges and immunities attendant to United States citizens are "respected in Puerto Rico to the same extent as though Puerto Rico were a state of the union" through the express extension of the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the U.S. Constitution by the U.S. Congress in 1948.

Puerto Rico officially designates itself on its constitution with the term "Commonwealth of Puerto Rico". Regardless, the island is still considered to be under the jurisdiction of the Territorial Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which has led to doubts about the finality of the Commonwealth status for Puerto Rico. In addition, all people born in Puerto Rico become citizens of the U.S. at birth (per provisions of the Jones Act in 1917), but citizens residing in Puerto Rico cannot vote for president or for full members of either House of Congress. Full statehood would grant island residents full voting rights at the Federal level. The Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499) was approved on April 29, 2010, by the United States House of Representatives 223–169, but was not approved by the Senate before the end of the 111th Congress. It would have provided for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. This act would provide for plebiscites to be held in Puerto Rico to determine the island's ultimate political status. It had also previously been introduced in 2007.

2012 Vote for Statehood

Main article: Puerto Rican status referendum, 2012

In October 2011, Governor Luis Fortuño set August 12, 2012 to hold the first part of a two-step status plebiscite. If a second status vote is required, it will take place on the same day as the general election in November 6, 2012, he added. A bill was brought before the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico in 2011 to effect the governor's proposal. The bill passed on December 28, 2011. Both referendums, however, will be held on a single ballot on November 6, 2012.

Puerto Rico statehood referenda were finally successful in November 6, 2012. Puerto Rico provided a clear electoral mandate rejecting the present form of territorial status and requested to the U.S. Congress to admitted Puerto Rico to be the 51st State of the United States of America on the November 6, 2012 Plebiscite. In each previous referendum, statehood supporters are matched almost equally by supporters of Puerto Rico remaining an American territory, with the small balance of the votes being cast by supporters of independence. Support for U.S. statehood has risen in each successive popular referendum until get a clear majority of 61.2 % on November 2012.

The first question on the plebiscite asked voters whether they want to maintain the current commonwealth status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution or whether they prefer a non-territorial option. A second question on the plebiscite had three status options: statehood, independence or free association.

The result of the 2012 referendum is that 54% of the population voted to change the status quo, and 61.15% of the population voted for the statehood.

In this election, Puerto Rico achieved a first clear electoral mandate rejecting the present form of territorial status, and requesting the U.S. Congress to admit Puerto Rico as the 51st State of the United States of America. In all earlier referenda, votes for statehood were matched almost equally by votes for remaining an American territory, with a small balance of votes cast for independence. Support for U.S. statehood has risen in each successive popular referendum until a clear majority of 61.15% was attained on November 2012. The most recent referendum process began in October 2011 when Governor Luis Fortuño proposed a bill, following the recommendation of the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status to provide for self-determination. The proposed bill set the date of August 12, 2012 to hold the first part of a two-step status plebiscite. The first question on the plebiscite would ask voters whether they wanted to maintain the current commonwealth status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution or whether they preferred a non-territorial option. A second question on the plebiscite would offer three status options: statehood, independence or free association. This bill was brought before the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, then the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2011 to effect the governor's proposal. The bill passed on December 28, 2011. The date was revised such that both steps were voted on in a single ballot on November 6, 2012. The statehood position was endorsed by the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico. As a result of that ballot, 54% of the population voted to change the status quo, with 61.15% of the population voting for statehood as the preferred change from the status quo.

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Gov. Romney endorsed statehood, saying: "I will support the people of Puerto Rico if they make a decision that they would prefer to become a state; that's a decision that I will support. I don't have preconditions that I would impose."

President Obama had also supported potential statehood, writing "I am firmly committed to the principle that the question of political status is a matter of self-determination for the people of Puerto Rico."

Statistics as US state

If Puerto Rico were a US state, it would rank 29th in population. Assuming the House of Representatives was kept at its present size of 435 members, Puerto Rico would currently be entitled to five seats in the House. Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita approximately 25% lower than the lowest state, though existing states vary by up to 50%. Puerto Rico's population in the 2010 census was 3,725,789. By comparison, Oklahoma ranked 28th, with 3,751,351, and Connecticut ranked 29th, with 3,574,097.

Change of extreme points of the United States

Puerto Rican statehood would change the extreme points of the United States since:

• Puerto Rico is located further south than Ka Lae, Hawaii, the current southernmost point of the United States.
• Culebra, Puerto Rico lies further east than Sail Rock 44°48′45.2″N 66°56′49.3″W, just offshore of West Quoddy Head, Maine which currently is the easternmost point in the 50 states, by direction of travel

Historical support in United States Politics

The 1940 Democratic party platform expressed their support to a larger measure of self-government leading to statehood for Puerto Rico.

The Democratic party platform of 1940 said:

We favor a larger measure of self-government leading to statehood, for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. We favor the appointment of residents to office, and equal treatment of the citizens of each of these three territories. We favor the prompt determination and payment of any just claims by Indian and Eskimo citizens of Alaska against the United States.

President Gerald Ford proposed statehood in 1976:

I believe that the appropriate status for Puerto Rico is statehood. I propose, therefore, that the people of Puerto Rico and the Congress of the United States begin now to take those steps which will result in statehood for Puerto Rico. I will recommend to the 95th Congress the enactment of legislation providing for the admission of Puerto Rico as a State of the Union.

President Ronald Reagan favored statehood:

I favor statehood for Puerto Rico and if the people of Puerto Rico vote for statehood in their coming referendum I would, as President, initiate the enabling legislation to make this a reality.

President George H. W. Bush raised the issue of statehood before Congress in his first State of the Union message in 1989:

There’s another issue that I’ve decided to mention here tonight. I’ve long believed that the people of Puerto Rico should have the right to determine their own political future. Personally, I strongly favor statehood. But I urge the Congress to take the necessary steps to allow the people to decide in a referendum.

President George H. W. Bush issued a memorandum on November 30, 1992, to heads of executive departments and agencies, establishing the current administrative relationship between the federal government and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This memorandum directs all federal departments, agencies, and officials to treat Puerto Rico administratively as if it were a state insofar as doing so would not disrupt federal programs or operations.

On December 23, 2000, President Bill Clinton signed executive Order 13183, which established the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status and the rules for its membership. Section 4 of executive Order 13183 (as amended by executive Order 13319) directs the Task Force to "report on its actions to the President ... on progress made in the determination of Puerto Rico's ultimate status." President George W. Bush signed an additional amendment to Executive Order 13183 on December 3, 2003, which established the current co-chairs and instructed the Task Force to issue reports as needed, but no less than once every two years.

Both the Democratic Party and Republican Party, in their respective 2008 party platforms, have expressed their support of the rights of the United States citizens in Puerto Rico to determine the destiny of the Commonwealth to achieve a future permanent non-territorial political status with government by consent and full enfranchisement.

The Republican Party platform of 2008 and 2012 says:

We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state after they freely so determine. We recognize that Congress has the final authority to define the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with government by consent and full enfranchisement. As long as Puerto Rico is not a state, however, the will of its people regarding their political status should be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S. government.

The Democratic Party platform of 2008 says:

We believe that the people of Puerto Rico have the right to the political status of their choice, obtained through a fair, neutral, and democratic process of self-determination. The White House and Congress will work with all groups in Puerto Rico to enable the question of Puerto Rico's status to be resolved during the next four years.

The Democratic Party platform of 2012 says:

As President Obama said when he became the first President to visit Puerto Rico and address its people in 50 years, Boricuas every day help write the American story. Puerto Ricans have been proud American citizens for almost 100 years. During that time, the people of Puerto Rico have developed strong political, economic, social, and cultural ties to the United States. The political status of Puerto Rico remains an issue of overwhelming importance, but lack of resolution about status has held the island back. It is time for Puerto Rico to take the next step in the history of its status and its relationship to the rest of the United States. The White House Task Force Report on Puerto Rico has taken important and historic steps regarding status. We commit to moving resolution of the status issue forward with the goal of resolving it expeditiously. If local efforts in Puerto Rico to resolve the status issue do not provide a clear result in the short term, the President should support, and Congress should enact, self-executing legislation that specifies in advance for the people of Puerto Rico a set of clear status options, such as those recommended in the White House Task Force Report on Puerto Rico, which the United States is politically committed to fulfilling. The economic success of Puerto Rico is intimately linked to a swift resolution of the status question, as well as consistent, focused efforts on improving the lives of the people of Puerto Rico. We have made great progress for Puerto Rico over the past four years, including a sharp, historic increase in Medicaid funding for the people of Puerto Rico and fair and equitable inclusion in the Recovery Act and the Affordable Care Act. Going forward, we will continue working toward fair and equitable participation for Puerto Rico in federal programs. We support increased efforts by the federal government to improve public safety in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, with a particular emphasis on efforts to combat drug trafficking and crime throughout our Caribbean border. In addition, consistent with the task force report, we will continue to work on improving Puerto Rico's economic status by promoting job creation, education, health care, clean energy, and economic development on the Island.

The latest report by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status recommends that all relevant parties—the President, Congress, and the leadership and people of Puerto Rico—work to ensure that Puerto Ricans are able to express their will about status options and have that will acted upon by the end of 2012 or soon thereafter.

The report further recommends, "... if efforts on the Island do not provide a clear result in the short term, the President should support, and Congress should enact, self-executing legislation that specifies in advance for the people of Puerto Rico a set of acceptable status options, including the Statehood, that the United States is politically committed to fulfilling. This legislation should commit the United States to honor the choice of the people of Puerto Rico (provided it is one of the status options specified in the legislation) and should specify the means by which such a choice would be made. The Task Force recommends that, by the end of 2012, the Administration develop, draft, and work with Congress to enact the proposed legislation."

Organizations that promote statehood

• New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
• Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
• Republican Party (Puerto Rico)

Movement leaders

• José Celso Barbosa (founder of the statehood movement & Republican Party of Puerto Rico)
• Luis A. Ferré (former Governor 1969-72)
• Miguel A. García Méndez (statehood activist)
• Carlos Romero Barceló (former Governor 1976-84, Resident Commissioner to the US House Representatives 1992-2000)
• Pedro Rosselló (former Governor 1992-2000)
• Ricardo Rosselló (son of Pedro Rossello, statehood activist - founder of the "Boricua Ahora es!" pro-statehood campaign in 2012)
• Luis Fortuño (Governor 2009-12)
• Pedro Pierluisi (incumbent Resident Commissioner to the United States House of Representatives since 2009)
• Hernán Padilla (former San Juan mayor 1976-84, statehood activist - founder of the "Igualdad" pro-statehood campaign in 2012)

See also

• Political status of Puerto Rico
• List of Puerto Rican status referendums
• List of proposed states of the United States