As lawmakers renew push for Puerto Rico statehood, one Florida lawmaker wants to know how voters feel
As lawmakers in Washington make another bipartisan attempt to admit Puerto Rico as the 51st state, U.S. Representative Donna Shalala is polling supporters on whether they support statehood for the U.S. territory.
In an email blast sent Monday morning titled “Should Puerto Rico be our 51st state?,” Shalala said she backs statehood and asked email recipients to click “Yes” or “No” on whether they support Puerto Rico’s recognition as a U.S. state.
“For decades, Puerto Ricans have been treated like second-class Americans,” the email reads. “Unable to vote in national elections and lacking voting members in Congress, the people of Puerto Rico are excluded from the benefits of being United States citizens.”
The language in the message is similar to that in the Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2019, which was introduced in October by New York Rep. José Serrano, a Democrat. The legislation is backed by 12 Florida Representatives of both parties including Shalala, Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. It is also pushed and co-sponsored by Puerto Rico’s sole representative in Congress, Rep. Jenniffer González, a Republican.
Legislative attempts to grant statehood to Puerto Rico have long been considered unlikely as it would require approval from both chambers of Congress and the president. And although Puerto Ricans on the island have voted in favor of statehood twice in recent years, the plebiscites did not have the explicit backing of the federal U.S. government and the language of the referendums was disputed by varying political sectors on the island.
“This is about giving the Puerto Rican people the choice and the mechanism that if they choose to join the union as the 51st state, this [bill] provides a clear pathway and mechanism for that to be facilitated,” said Shalala’s spokesman Carlos Condarco. Shalala believes there is increased support for statehood on the island.
The newest statehood bill calls for a vote by island residents that would take place during the general election in November 2020. Though Puerto Rican residents cannot participate in the mainland’s general election for President of the United States, the island holds an election for governor, the resident commissioner for U.S. Congress and other legislative seats on the same day.
Supporters of the bill also believe this legislation is different from previous attempts because it binds the president to certify the results of the “Yes-or-No” plebiscite if it passes on the island and issue a proclamation to add Puerto Rico to the U.S. immediately.
The Puerto Rican population in Central and South Florida has spiked in the past 10 years as residents have fled the island’s decade-long economic crisis that has led to federal oversight of its finances. The island still awaits millions of dollars allocated for its recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. After nearly two weeks of massive protests on the island, former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló was forced to step down on Aug. 2.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
