Status bill seeks to negotiate improvements to commonwealth status, remove fiscal board within 2 years

Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera

By THE STAR STAFF

Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera has introduced the “Puerto Rico Democratic Self-Determination Act” in Congress.

The measure would allow Puerto Rico residents to vote in a binding plebiscite on statehood, independence, sovereignty in free association, and the option to maintain and improve the commonwealth, or ELA (Estado Libre Asociado) in Spanish.

The resident commissioner said the ballot defines “the autonomist formula as a Commonwealth with self-government and a degree of autonomy comparable to that of the states, governed by Public Law 600, Public Law 447, and the Constitution of Puerto Rico as ratified by the people.”

“It recognizes that Puerto Ricans are United States citizens; that they participate in federal programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and PAN [the acronym in Spanish for the island’s version of the federal food stamps program]; that Puerto Rico enjoys fiscal autonomy and does not pay federal income tax on income generated on the island; and that Puerto Rico possesses its own identity, history, and language, which it asserts before the world through its name and flag at events such as the Olympics,” Hernández Rivera added in a written statement. “If the Commonwealth status were to prevail, [...] PROMESA [Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act] would cease to apply within two years, and a Commission for the Development of the Commonwealth would be created, composed of U.S. government officials and representatives of the organization advocating for the Commonwealth in the plebiscite. The Commission would be empowered to examine, propose, and negotiate reforms to strengthen self-government; protect cultural identity; give Puerto Rico a voice in federal decisions affecting it; and expand its participation in federal programs. Any reform proposed by the Commission would have to be approved by the people of Puerto Rico and by Congress.”

Hernández Rivera said he filed the bill in response to an announcement the governor made during her recent State of the Commonwealth address.

“I believe we should prioritize issues affecting your daily life over the status issue,” the resident commissioner said. “And I know you feel the same way. But I have always said that if others insist on raising the status issue, I will defend your right to vote on all the options.”

In her address, the governor announced she would travel to Washington to present a bill favoring statehood.

“There is a saying that he who strikes first, strikes twice,” Hernández Rivera said. “That is why, today, I submitted a bill allowing Puerto Ricans to vote in a binding plebiscite on statehood, independence, sovereignty in free association, and maintaining and improving the Commonwealth.”

The bill -- which the resident commissioner described as “an almost exact replica of Bill 8393, which was introduced by the current governor and passed by the House of Representatives in 2022” -- was introduced by four diverse members of Congress: Hernández Rivera (D-P.R.), a member of the Hispanic Caucus; Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus; Derek Tran (D-Calif.), a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus; and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.