Puerto Rico Status Resolution Act

Puerto Rico Status Resolution Act - Authorizes the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico to provide for a ratification vote on the admission of Puerto Rico as a state of the United States on an equal footing with the several states in all respects. Requires (if a majority of votes cast in the ratification vote are for the admission of Puerto Rico as a state): (1) the President to submit to Congress legislation to admit Puerto Rico as a state, and (2) Congress to act, through legislation, to admit Puerto Rico as a state.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2000 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2000

 To set forth the process for Puerto Rico to be admitted as a State of 
                               the Union.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2013

    Mr. Pierluisi (for himself, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. 
  Serrano, Mr. King of New York, Mr. George Miller of California, Ms. 
   Ros-Lehtinen, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Waxman, Ms. 
Kaptur, Mr. Engel, Mr. Faleomavaega, Ms. Norton, Ms. Brown of Florida, 
 Mr. Mica, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Kind, Mr. Crowley, 
Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Castor of 
Florida, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Schock, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Polis, Mr. 
   Grayson, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Garcia, and Ms. Shea-Porter) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To set forth the process for Puerto Rico to be admitted as a State of 
                               the Union.

    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 Status Resolution Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 1898, Puerto Rico became a United States territory 
        and persons born in Puerto Rico have been granted United States 
        citizenship by law since March 2, 1917.
            (2) Puerto Rico has been granted authority over local 
        matters that is similar to the authority that the several 
        States possess, but Puerto Rico remains subject to the powers 
        of Congress under the Territory Clause of the Constitution of 
        the United States.
            (3) The approximately 3,700,000 residents of Puerto Rico do 
        not have a democratic form of government at the national level, 
        because United States citizens residing in the territory are 
        disenfranchised in the election for the President and the Vice 
        President of the United States, are not represented in the 
        United States Senate, and their one representative in the 
        United States House of Representatives can only vote in 
        committees of the United States House of Representatives.
            (4) The Federal Government may--and often does--treat 
        Puerto Rico and its residents unequally under Federal program, 
        tax, and other laws relative to the several States and the 
        District of Columbia and their residents.
            (5) On November 6, 2012, the Government of Puerto Rico held 
        a two-part referendum. The first question asked voters if 
        Puerto Rico ``should continue to have its present form of 
        territorial status''. Of the 1,798,987 voters who chose an 
        option, 53.97 percent voted against continued territorial 
        status.
            (6) The second question asked voters to express their 
        preference among the three possible alternatives to territorial 
        status: statehood, independence, and nationhood in free 
        association with the United States. Of the 1,363,854 voters who 
        chose an option, 61.16 percent voted for statehood.
            (7) The number of votes cast in favor of statehood exceeded 
        the number of votes cast in favor of continued territorial 
        status.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide for a federally 
authorized ratification vote in Puerto Rico on the admission of Puerto 
Rico into the Union as a State and, if a majority of voters ratify 
Puerto Rico's desire for statehood, to describe the steps that the 
President and Congress shall take to enable the admission of Puerto 
Rico as a State of the Union.

SEC. 3. RATIFICATION VOTE.

    The State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico is authorized to 
provide for a ratification vote on the admission of Puerto Rico into 
the Union as a State, in accordance with rules and regulations 
determined by the Commission, including qualifications for voter 
eligibility, with the following on the ballot:
            ``As a State:
                    ``(A) Puerto Rico would be permanently united to 
                the other States of the Union.
                    ``(B) All provisions of the Constitution of the 
                United States that apply to the States would apply to 
                Puerto Rico.
                    ``(C) Individuals born in Puerto Rico would be 
                United States citizens by virtue of the Constitution of 
                the United States, instead of by virtue of laws of the 
                United States.
                    ``(D) Puerto Rico would be treated equally with the 
                other States in all Federal laws of general 
                application.
                    ``(E) There would be a period of transition to 
                statehood, during which equal treatment of Puerto Rico 
                in program and tax laws would be phased in.
                    ``(F) Puerto Rico would be represented in the 
                United States Senate by two Senators, in the United 
                States House of Representatives by a number of 
                Representatives in proportion to its share of the 
                national population (and the number of Members of the 
                House of Representatives would be increased by the same 
                number), and for the election of the President and the 
                Vice President of the United States by a number of 
                votes in the Electoral College equal to the number of 
                its Senators and Representatives.
                    ``(G) The Government of Puerto Rico, like the 
                governments of the other States, would have permanent 
                authority over all matters not delegated to the Federal 
                Government or the people by the Constitution of the 
                United States.
        Do you want Puerto Rico to be admitted as a State of the United 
        States? Yes__ No__''.

SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION.

    (a) Presidential Action.--If a majority of votes cast in the 
ratification vote held under section 3 are for the admission of Puerto 
Rico as a State of the Union, the President, not later than 180 days 
after the certification of the vote, shall submit to Congress 
legislation to admit Puerto Rico as a State of the Union on an equal 
footing with the several States in all respects, consistent with the 
terms of this Act.
    (b) Legislative Action.--If a majority of votes cast in the 
ratification vote held under section 3 are for the admission of Puerto 
Rico as a State of the Union, this Act constitutes a commitment by 
Congress to act, through legislation, to admit Puerto Rico as a State 
of the Union on an equal footing with the several States in all 
respects, consistent with the terms of this Act.
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