Young Bill
Encyclopedia
The United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act (1998) was a bill
proposed in the United States Congress
to help refine the political status of Puerto Rico
. The senior sponsor of the bill was Representative
Don Young
, Republican
of Alaska
. While a version was approved in the House, it failed to reach a vote in the Senate
.
four options for their political future: statehood, independence
, associated republic, or the current commonwealth status. The project proposed to carry out a referendum in which the people of Puerto Rico could chose the option they preferred.
The proposal was controversial in Puerto Rican politics
for several reasons. Governor
Pedro Rosselló
and Resident Commissioner
Carlos Romero Barceló
, two avid supporters of statehood, were advocates of the legislation, and thus the bill was seen with suspicion by non-statehooders. Second, the legislation seemed to favor unchangeable status choices over commonwealth status, and the Commonwealth option in the bill defined Puerto Rico as a "territory subject to the supreme powers of the U.S. Congress." The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
(PPD) disagreed with this definition, stating that it portrayed the island as a colony
of the United States
, and not as a true commonwealth or free associated state (estado libre associado) between two nations. The PPD opposed the bill.
The positions regarding Puerto Rican status within the U.S. National Parties are not monolithic. Overall, the national Democratic Party
identifies mostly with Commonwealth supporters, with minorities favoring statehood or independence. The Republican Party
are also conflicted. Nearly every presidential candidate for the Republican party has endorsed statehood; but many legislators worry about the potential for a Spanish-speaking majority state of Puerto Rico to tip the balance of power in congress. Some welcome the fiscal benefits of detaching the island from the U.S.
The travails of H.R. 856 in the House of Representatives
exemplifies the hurdles from conservative and liberal members that any status choice by Puerto Rico will face in Congress. The bill was introduced by conservative representative Gerald Solomon (Republican – New York or R-NY). The following amendments, many by liberal NY and IL congressman were debated:
Ultimately, Puerto Rico, while under the PNP leadership of Governor Rosselló, held a status referendum on December, 1998, using criteria from the Bill, despite the lack of a Bill's approval. The PPD opposed the referendum unless different wording was used for the Commonwealth option. The PNP pointed out that any such status change would require congressional approval, and at least the Bill's terminology had mustered House support. In response, the PPD urged Puerto Ricans to choose the None of the Above option, as a means to reject the offered status choices. The success of this option in the polls while expressing disapproval, does not express a preference among the Bill's options.
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
proposed in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to help refine the political status of Puerto Rico
Political status of Puerto Rico
The current political status of Puerto Rico is the result of various political activities both within the United States and Puerto Rican governments. The basic question regarding this issue is whether Puerto Rico should remain a U.S. territory, become a U.S...
. The senior sponsor of the bill was Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Don Young
Don Young
Donald Edwin "Don" Young is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1973. He is a member of the Republican Party.Young is the 6th most senior U.S. Representative and the 2nd most senior Republican Representative, as well as the 2nd most senior Republican in Congress as a whole...
, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. While a version was approved in the House, it failed to reach a vote in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Definition and controversy
The bill offered Puerto RicansPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
four options for their political future: statehood, independence
Puerto Rican independence movement
The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
, associated republic, or the current commonwealth status. The project proposed to carry out a referendum in which the people of Puerto Rico could chose the option they preferred.
The proposal was controversial in Puerto Rican politics
Politics of Puerto Rico
The politics of Puerto Rico take place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States of America as an organized unincorporated territory....
for several reasons. Governor
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
and Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
, two avid supporters of statehood, were advocates of the legislation, and thus the bill was seen with suspicion by non-statehooders. Second, the legislation seemed to favor unchangeable status choices over commonwealth status, and the Commonwealth option in the bill defined Puerto Rico as a "territory subject to the supreme powers of the U.S. Congress." The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
(PPD) disagreed with this definition, stating that it portrayed the island as a colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and not as a true commonwealth or free associated state (estado libre associado) between two nations. The PPD opposed the bill.
The positions regarding Puerto Rican status within the U.S. National Parties are not monolithic. Overall, the national Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
identifies mostly with Commonwealth supporters, with minorities favoring statehood or independence. The Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
are also conflicted. Nearly every presidential candidate for the Republican party has endorsed statehood; but many legislators worry about the potential for a Spanish-speaking majority state of Puerto Rico to tip the balance of power in congress. Some welcome the fiscal benefits of detaching the island from the U.S.
The travails of H.R. 856 in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
exemplifies the hurdles from conservative and liberal members that any status choice by Puerto Rico will face in Congress. The bill was introduced by conservative representative Gerald Solomon (Republican – New York or R-NY). The following amendments, many by liberal NY and IL congressman were debated:
- Solomon: sought English be declared the official language of U.S. Substituted by Burton (R-IN) which encouraged English proficiency for all Puerto Ricans by age 10. Passed 240–177.
- GutierrezGutierrezGutiérrez is a Spanish surname meaning "son of Gutierre." Gutierre is a form of Gualtierre, Spanish form of Walter. In English, "Gutiérrez" is often spelled "Gutierrez".-People:* Álvaro Gutiérrez, Peruvian politician...
(Democrat- Illinois or D-IL); made Spanish official language of Puerto Rico. Failed 13–406. - Serrano (D-NY); allow U.S. citizens born in island but residing outside of Puerto Rico to vote in referendums; failed 57–356.
- Serrano (D-NY): allow persons with one parent born in Puerto Rico to vote in referendum; failed by voice vote.
- Gutierrez (D-NY): Congress recognizes Puerto Rico is sociologically and culturally a CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n nation with a distinctive culture that has Spanish as a common language; failed by voice vote. - StearnsStearnsThe surname Stearns is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Stierne, which meant severe or strict. Variations include Sterne and Stern. It may refer to the following.-People:*Asahel Stearns , U.S...
(R-FL): required a run-off referendum within 90 days between 2 options which received most votes; failed: 28–384 - Gutierrez (D-IL): delete language in the findings section of the bill which references the Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1898)The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
; Failed by voice vote. - BarrBob BarrRobert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr. is a former federal prosecutorand a former member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Republican from 1995 to 2003. Barr attained national prominence as one of the leaders of the impeachment of...
(R-GA): require the approval of statehood by a super-majority of 75% of the valid votes cast. failed: 131–282 - Velazquez (D-NY): add language to the findings section of the bill recognizing the separate and distinct nature of Puerto Rican citizenshipPuerto Rican citizenshipPuerto Rican citizenship was first legislated by the U.S. Congress in Article 7 of the Foraker Act of 1900 and later recognized by the Puerto Rican constitution...
in relation to U.S. citizenship. Failed by voice vote. - Gutierrez (D-IL): allow Puerto Rico to retain its separate Olympic CommitteePuerto Rico at the 2004 Summer OlympicsPuerto Rico, represented by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.The Puerto Ricans' best performance was with the Puerto Rican national basketball team that defeated the Dream Team of the United States 92-73 in the opening game.Basketball player...
and to compete under its own flagFlag of Puerto RicoThe flags of Puerto Rico represent and symbolize the island and people of Puerto Rico. The most commonly used flags of Puerto Rico are the current flag, which represents the people of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico; municipal flags, which represent the different regions of the island; political...
and national anthemLa BorinqueñaLa Borinqueña is the official anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became the "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, signed law #2 of July 24, 1952 that stated that the musical composition known as "La Borinqueña" was to...
in international athletic competitions; failed: 2–413 - Gutierrez (D-IL): retain certain corporate tax provisions for Puerto Rico for 20 years after statehood and exempt Puerto Ricans from U.S. federal tax until the State of Puerto Rico achieves same per capita income as the State with next lowest per capita income. Failed by voice vote.
Ultimately, Puerto Rico, while under the PNP leadership of Governor Rosselló, held a status referendum on December, 1998, using criteria from the Bill, despite the lack of a Bill's approval. The PPD opposed the referendum unless different wording was used for the Commonwealth option. The PNP pointed out that any such status change would require congressional approval, and at least the Bill's terminology had mustered House support. In response, the PPD urged Puerto Ricans to choose the None of the Above option, as a means to reject the offered status choices. The success of this option in the polls while expressing disapproval, does not express a preference among the Bill's options.