The Puerto Rico Status Act passed the House in 2022 but did not get through the Senate. It was reintroduced in 2023 and in 2024, it was pending in both the House and the Senate, but never came to the floor for a vote. Will the Puerto Rico Status Act be reintroduced in 2025?

What’s reintroduction?

Congress has sessions lasting for two years. A bill introduced during one session may not be voted on during that session, and when the session ends, all the leftover bills are said to have died. Often, they will be reintroduced; the people who introduced the bill before may just do it again, or a different member of the legislature may take the lead. Bills can be introduced an unlimited number of times.

Who would introduce the PRSA?

In the last session of Congress, the Resident Commission was Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, a staunch supporter of statehood who was instrumental in creating the original bill. She reintroduced the bill.

However, this year, the Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico is a member of the “commonwealth” party. Hernández Rivera favors remaining a U.S. territory and “improving the commonwealth.” It has been many years since there was a resident commissioner from this party in Washington. The Governor of Puerto Rico and both houses of the legislature are dominated by statehood supporters — but the resident commissioner supports territory status. That status was not included in the Puerto Rico Status Act. He probably will not choose to reintroduce the PRSA.

Someone else could do so. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said that “Puerto Rico is a problem that needs to be solved” and Rep. Stacey Plaskett said that the U.S. “has a colonies problem.” Either of them could reintroduce the bill, as could Rep. Darren Soto or Nydia Velazquez. There are many more possibilities.

Some observers suggest that Republicans could rethink a status bill for Puerto Rico, given Donald Trump’s expansionist talk. With mentions of manifest destiny and a growing nation, he seems open to taking on new land. In his inauguration speech, he said, “The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth … carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons. And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars.”

This implies a state of mind that would be receptive to new states — and Puerto Rico is ready for that challenge. There may be Republican legislators who will be ready to introduce the PRSA or another statehood bill.

Would it pass?

Democrat Jared Huffman, minority leader of the Natural Resources Committee, told El Nuevo Dia that he doesn’t believe his committee (which is responsible for Puerto Rico in Congress) will consider a status bill during this session of Congress. Huffman voted for the Puerto Rico Status Act as well as for previous statehood bills, but told the news outlet, “I don’t think the Republicans are going to come anywhere near this status issue.”

However, we are seeing big changes in Washington and many of them are taking place with surprising speed. Reach out to your legislators now — Democratic and Republican — and ask them to get on the right side of history.

 

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