May 7, 2024
Washington, D.C. – The Puerto Rico Statehood Council (PRSC) welcomes historic support for the Puerto Rico Status Act (PRSA), S. 3231, which reached 25 cosponsors last week with the support of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY). The House companion bill, H.R. 2757, also continues to garner bipartisan support with a total of 95 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. The PRSA recognizes the responsibility of Congress to end Puerto Rico’s current undemocratic and unequal territory status by providing the 3.2 million U.S. citizens living on the island the opportunity to determine Puerto Rico’s future political status. The legislation offers Puerto Rico’s voters a binding choice between statehood, independence, or independence with free association.
Reaching 25 Senate cosponsors for the PRSA represents the greatest amount of support ever obtained for legislation in the U.S. Senate seeking to end Puerto Rico’s territory status. It also builds on the momentum from December 2022 when a prior version of the bill (H.R. 8393) passed the House with bipartisan support and the endorsement of the Biden Administration. This bill was the result of a year-long negotiation and compromise between Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY). Majority Leader Schumer cosponsored the PRSA last week after meeting with Governor Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR).
“Obtaining this historic level of support in the Senate for legislation that includes an offer of statehood for Puerto Rico is a monumental advancement for the Puerto Rico statehood movement. It demonstrates the persistence and dedication of our advocacy efforts, as well as our willingness to compromise with those who seek other visions for Puerto Rico’s future in order to break the ‘divide and conquer’ logic that has perpetuated territorial colonialism for more than a century. This is the first time in American history that a Senate Majority Leader has expressed unequivocal support for legislation to enable self-determination for Puerto Rico, and it signals the growing potential to advance such legislation through the upper chamber,” said PRSC’s Executive Director, George H. Laws Garcia.
The next step in the legislative process is for the committees of jurisdiction, the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to hold public hearings on the PRSA or the Puerto Rico status issue more broadly. “The American public and 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico deserve public hearings on this issue. We look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to continue building support for this issue and making hearings a reality,” concluded Laws Garcia.
The Puerto Rico Statehood Council is a Washington, D.C. based, non-partisan, 501(c)4 non-profit issue advocacy organization. We are dedicated to advancing the goal of full equality and democracy for the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico through statehood.