Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2006 - Directs the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission to conduct a plebiscite in Puerto Rico during the 110th Congress on the sole question of continued U.S. territorial status or a path toward a permanent non-territorial status.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2661 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2661
To provide for a plebiscite in Puerto Rico on the status of the
territory.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 26, 2006
Mr. Martinez (for himself, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Craig, Mr. Nelson of
Florida, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Carper, Mr. Allard, Ms. Landrieu, Mrs. Clinton,
and Mr. Kerry) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a plebiscite in Puerto Rico on the status of the
territory.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) in the Memorandum on the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
(28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 2324, dated November 30, 1992),
President George H.W. Bush recognized that ``[a]s long as
Puerto Rico is a territory ... the will of its people regarding
their political status should be ascertained periodically by
means of a general right of referendum . . .'';
(2) consistent with this policy, in Executive Order No.
13183 (65 Fed. Reg. 82889), President William J. Clinton
established the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status
to identify--
(A) options for the territory's future political
status ``... that are not incompatible with the
Constitution and basic laws and policies of the United
States ...''; and
(B) the process for realizing the identified
options;
(3) in Executive Order 13319 (68 Fed. Reg. 68233),
President George W. Bush amended Executive Order No. 13183 (65
Fed. Reg. 82889) to require that the President's Task Force on
Puerto Rico's Status issue a report ``... no less frequently
than once every 2 years, on progress made in the determination
of Puerto Rico's ultimate status.''; and
(4) on December 22, 2005, the Task Force appointed by
President George W. Bush issued a report recommending that not
later than 1 year after the date on which the report was
published, Congress should provide for a federally sanctioned
plebiscite in which the people of Puerto Rico would be asked to
vote on whether the people opt to--
(A) remain a United States territory; or
(B) pursue a constitutionally viable path toward a
permanent nonterritorial status with the United States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Puerto
Rico State Elections Commission.
(2) Commonwealth.--The term ``Commonwealth'' means the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(3) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the
President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status.
SEC. 4. FEDERALLY SANCTIONED PROCESS FOR PUERTO RICO'S SELF-
DETERMINATION.
(a) Plebiscite.--
(1) In general.--During the 110th Congress, but not later
than December 31, 2007, the Commission shall conduct a
plebiscite in the Commonwealth, the ballot of which shall
provide for voters to choose only 1 of the following options:
(A) ``The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should
continue to be a territory of the United States. If you
agree, mark here____.''.
(B) ``The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should pursue
a path toward permanent non-territory status. If you
agree, mark here ______. ''.
(2) Rules and regulations.--The Commission shall issue any
rules and regulations necessary to conduct the plebiscite under
this subsection.
(3) Certification of results.--The Commission shall certify
the results of the plebiscite conducted under this subsection
to the President and Congress.
(b) Federal Court Jurisdiction.--The Federal courts of the United
States shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any legal claim or
controversy arising from the implementation of this Act.
SEC. 5. AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE SELF-DETERMINATION PROCESS.
(a) Availability of Amounts Derived From Tax on Foreign Rum.--
(1) In general.--During the period beginning on October 1,
2006, and ending on the date on which the results of the
plebiscite have been certified under section 4(a)(3), the
Secretary of the Treasury shall allocate to the Commission,
from amounts that would otherwise be covered into the treasury
of the Commonwealth under section 7652(e)(1) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, not more than $5,000,000 to pay the costs
incurred by the Commission in conducting the plebiscite, as
determined under paragraph (2).
(2) Determination by the task force.--The amount needed to
cover the costs of the plebiscite shall be determined by the
Task Force.
(b) Use of Funds for Educational and Other Materials.--The amounts
made available to the Commission under subsection (a)(1) may be used
for the cost of voter education materials if the content of the
materials has been certified by the Task Force as not being
incompatible with the Constitution or any Federal laws or policies.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
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