House lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would make Puerto Rico the 51st state of the United States.
Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., who represents a sizable Puerto Rican constituency in his south Orlando district, unveiled the bill dubbed “The Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2019,” which sets the terms for Puerto Rico’s statehood. Under the bill, Puerto Rico’s statehood would be granted within 90 days of getting President Trump’s signature.
Though statehood for Puerto Rico has broad support among Republicans, a potential problem is the president’s public feud with Puerto Rican leaders over the handling of Hurricane Maria federal funds and assistance after the 2017 storm devastated the island. “With the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn’t be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they’re doing,” Trump said in a September interview.
[ Related: Trump administration yet to deliver much of the disaster funds it owes Puerto Rico]
The bill is co-sponsored by Jenniffer Gonzalez, a Republican in office representing Puerto Rico since 2017. As a nonvoting member, Gonzalez is not allowed to vote on final legislative measures on the floor, but she is allowed to vote in committees, introduce legislation, and co-sponsor proposals.
In 2017, the Puerto Rican government held a public referendum to guide the official position of the island. Over 97 percent of Puerto Ricans supported statehood.
Florida’s Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans, have publicly supported for Puerto Rico statehood.
Since 2012, the Republican Party has included Puerto Rican statehood as an official party position in their platform. The position was ratified again in the 2016 Republican National Convention when Trump was formally chosen as the party’s nominee for the presidency.
“We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state,” the official Republican platform reads.”We support the federally sponsored political status referendum authorized and funded by an Act of Congress in 2014 to ascertain the aspirations of the people of Puerto Rico. Once the 2012 local vote for statehood is ratified, Congress should approve an enabling act with terms for Puerto Rico’s future admission as the 51st state of the Union.”
The bill is a reintroduction of the Puerto Rico Admissions Act of 2018 that failed to clear the Natural Resources Committee. The new bill, however, is expected to be more warmly received under the Democratic leadership of the committee.
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