Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: In 1898, Puerto Rico became a United States territory and persons born in Puerto Rico have been granted United States citizenship since 1917, pursuant to Public Law 64–368 . In 1950, Congress enacted Public Law 81–600 , authorizing Puerto Rico to draft a local constitution. In 1951, a constitutional convention was held in Puerto Rico to draft the constitution. On March 3, 1952, Puerto Rico ratified the constitution and submitted it for approval by Congress.
On July 3, 1952, Congress enacted Public Law 82–447 , which made changes to the constitution, and approved the constitution subject to Puerto Rico’s acceptance of these changes. The changes were accepted by the delegates to the constitutional convention, and the constitution of Puerto Rico took effect on July 25, 1952. The constitution establishes a republican form of government, is not repugnant to the Constitution of the United States, and is the functional equivalent of a state constitution.
On November 6, 2012, the Government of Puerto Rico held a two-part plebiscite organized under local law. The first question asked voters if Puerto Rico should continue to be a territory, and 54 percent of voters rejected territory status. The second question asked voters to express their preference among the three possible alternatives to territory status—statehood, independence, and nationhood in free association with the United States—and 61 percent of voters who selected an option chose statehood.
The number of votes cast for statehood on the second question exceeded the number of votes cast for continued territory status on the first question. On August 1, 2013, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate held a hearing to receive testimony on the 2012 plebiscite. In his opening statement, the Chairman of the Committee said that there is no disputing that a majority of the voters in Puerto Rico—54 percent—have clearly expressed their opposition to continuing the current territorial status .
The ranking minority member of the Committee agreed, stating that it is clear to me that the majority of Puerto Ricans do not favor the current territorial status . Also at the August 1, 2013 hearing, the Chairman recognized that for Puerto Rico to meet its economic and social challenges and to achieve its full potential, this debate over status needs to be settled and that the current relationship undermines the United States’ moral standing in the world. For a nation founded on the principles of democracy and the consent of the governed, how much longer can America allow a condition to persist in which nearly four million U.S. citizens do not have a vote in the government that makes the national laws which affect their daily lives? The Chairman acknowledged that, for Puerto Rico to have full self-government, it must become a sovereign nation or achieve equality among the States of the Union .
The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget requested $2.5 million for the first Federally sponsored plebiscite in Puerto Rico’s history, to be held on options that would resolve Puerto Rico’s future political status and that are found by the Department of Justice not to be incompatible with the Constitution and laws and policies of the United States . This proposal was enacted in January 2014 as part of Public Law 113–76 . Alaska and Hawaii are the most recent territories to become States of the Union.
Public Law 85–508 (July 7, 1958), an act to provide for the admission of the State of Alaska into the Union , and Public Law 86–3 (March 18, 1959), an act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union , were enacted after a majority of voters in each territory expressed a desire for statehood in plebiscites organized under local law. These Acts of Congress provided that admission would occur if a majority of voters affirmed in a Federally sponsored plebiscite that the territory should be admitted into the Union as a State .
The Federally sponsored plebiscite in the territory of Alaska was held on August 26, 1958, and Alaska was admitted into the Union on January 3, 1959. The Federally sponsored plebiscite in the territory of Hawaii was held on June 27, 1959, and Hawaii was admitted into the Union on August 21, 1959.
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- Pub. L. 64-368
- Pub. L. 81-600
- Pub. L. 82-447
- Pub. L. 85-508
- Pub. L. 86-3
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Sec. 2
Findings
Pub. L.Pub. L. 64-368
Pub. L.Pub. L. 81-600
Pub. L.Pub. L. 82-447
Pub. L.Pub. L. 85-508
Pub. L.Pub. L. 86-3
Cites 6Cited by 0 across 0 sources