Puerto Rico Governor Garcia Padilla is already aggressively lobbying the new Congress against legislation that would authorize Puerto Ricans to vote whether the territory should become a State.
A bill for a plebiscite under Federal law has not been introduced yet, but Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative says that one will be. In the last Congress, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (statehood/D) led 132 other members of the U.S. House from both national political parties and three U.S. senators in sponsoring a bill for a vote on statehood and action to transition the territory to it if Puerto Ricans vote in a Federal plebiscite for permanence and equality within the Nation.
Garcia Padilla wants Puerto Rico to continue to be an unincorporated territory of the U.S. but in an unprecedented new “commonwealth” arrangement even though Puerto Ricans rejected territory status in a plebiscite in 2012 and even though Federal officials have repeatedly rejected proposals for a new “commonwealth status.” The Governor also refuses to accept the results of the 2012 plebiscite, which chose statehood to replace territory status by 61.2% of the vote.
Copies of letters that Garcia Padilla and his lead representative in Washington, DC have recently sent Members of Congress in their campaign against a statehood plebiscite are at the links below.
If you disagree with the Governor and live in a State, write your representative in the U.S. House and your U.S. senators saying that you want Congress to authorize Puerto Ricans to vote on statehood.
If you disagree with the Governor and live in Puerto Rico, write the chairs of the congressional committees that handle the issue:
Hon. Rob Bishop
Committee on Natural Resources
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Fax number: 202-225-5929
Hon. Lisa Murkowski
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Fax number: 202-224-6163
PRFAA Letter
Letter from AGP to Members of Congress – PR Political Status – January 14, 2015
2 Responses
It’s time to let everyone know that Puerto Rico had it with the quote status. We want a chance and that change is for statehood. Enough with the colony status , we demand equal treatment.
Puerto rico should become statehood l am fAvoroite 51statehood