STATUS OF PUERTO RICO
"The resolution of future political status is one of the most important Constitutional responsibilities of the Congress. Congress is vested with the power to admit States and the power to dispose of the territory of the United States. This is one of the fundamental authorities that affects the nature of our society and government. I intend to be successful in our efforts to provide a pathway so that the people of Puerto Rico can resolve the issue of self-determination once and for all with certainty.
I am committed to establishing a process that will allow our fellow US citizens in Puerto Rico to meaningfully express their desires for their future political status. That process includes the ability of the US citizens resident in Puerto Rico being able to meaningfully convey to the Congress their concerns with the present federal relationship as well as their aspirations for the future." – Senator Frank Murkowski, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
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HISPANIC AMERICANS URGE PASSAGE OF S. 472
The Hispanic Coalition for Puerto Rican Self-Determination,
a broad-based association of national Hispanic organizations, called upon the Senate Republican Leadership to move forward without delay to adopt legislation extending the right of self-determination to the 3.8 million United States citizens of Puerto Rico. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, the Hispanic Coalition leaders emphasized that self-determination for Puerto Rico is an issue of vital importance to Hispanics.
Admit it. (Statehood for Puerto Rico)
"Pro-statehood sentiment has been steadily growing, as measured by the nonbinding plebiscites periodically taken on the island. If the island's inhabitants vote to give up a little bit more of their cultural sovereignty in return for the blessings of full membership in the American political community, there's little reason to turn them away." - Charles Lane. THE NEW REPUBLIC
Statehood Alone Guarantees U.S. Citizenship Forever
"If the
people of Puerto Rico want full constitutional
citizenship guaranteed forever, statehood is the only
path to that result. For the first time under any bill
approved by either House of Congress, H.R. 856 accurately
defines the three status options which currently exist
for Puerto Rico under the U.S. Constitution and
international law recognized by the United States. Thus,
H.R. 856 is now the state-of-the-art model for
decolonization of Puerto Rico."
- Richard Thornburgh, Former Attorney-General of the
United States, Yale Law School, March 28, 1998
Puerto Rico, U.S.A.
"As a Puerto Rican
and an American, I believe our future as a community is
inseparable from our culture and language, but I'm also
passionately committed to the modern world. That's why
I'm going to support statehood in the next
plebiscite." - Rosario Ferre
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GOVERNOR PEDRO ROSSELLO'S ADMINISTRATION WILL TESTIFY AT
SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON ECONOMIC
IMPACT OF PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD
GOP POLLSTER, RICHARD WIRTHLIN, TELLS REPUBLICANS THAT THEY SHOULD LET PUERTO RICANS VOTE ON WHETHER THEY WANT STATEHOOD
The Power of the Hispanic Vote
Univision Hispanic survey finds Republican candidates who have aggressively courted Hispanics win high approval ratings, like Texas Governor George W. Bush (81%). Hispanics identify with traditionally Republican issues, such as crime and violence, the weakening of traditional family values and the quest for economic opportunity. Poll also find that 56% of Hispanics support statehood for Puerto Rico.
PUERTO RICO SELF-DETERMINATION FOE, HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN GERALD SOLOMON, (R-NY), TO RETIRE FROM CONGRESS
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