[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 900 Reported in House (RH)]






                                                 Union Calendar No. 370
110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 900

                          [Report No. 110-597]

 To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for 
                       the people of Puerto Rico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2007

Mr. Serrano (for himself, Mr. Fortuno, Mr. Rahall, Mr. Young of Alaska, 
Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Putnam, 
Ms. Bordallo, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Kind, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Mr. 
Kildee, Mr. Flake, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Renzi, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Burton 
 of Indiana, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Dent, Mr. Crowley, Ms. Pryce of Ohio, Mr. 
  Engel, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Wu, Mr. Poe, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Mario 
 Diaz-Balart of Florida, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Wilson of South 
  Carolina, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Baird, Mr. Mack, 
   Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. Kuhl of New York, Mr. Gene Green of 
 Texas, Mr. Keller of Florida, Mr. Mollohan, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Moran of 
 Virginia, Mrs. Miller of Michigan, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, 
 Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Doyle, Mr. 
 Coble, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Weller of Illinois, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Boustany, 
   Mr. Clay, Mr. McKeon, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Mr. 
  Jefferson, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Paul, Mr. McNulty, Mr. 
 Gerlach, Mr. Olver, Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida, Mr. Calvert, 
 Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. 
Mica, Mr. Taylor, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Gilchrest, 
Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Mr. 
  Costa, Mr. Castle, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Rodriguez, and Mr. Cardoza) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Natural Resources

                             April 22, 2008

Additional sponsors: Mr. Arcuri, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Higgins, 
Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. Walden of Oregon, Mr. Pence, Mr. Peterson of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. Marchant, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Cannon, Mr. 
  Fossella, Mr. Stark, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Shays, Ms. Berkley, Mr. 
Radanovich, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. 
 Sali, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. McCarthy of California, Mr. Moore of 
Kansas, Ms. Fallin, Mr. Shuler, Mr. David Davis of Tennessee, Mr. Farr, 
 Mr. Berman, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Holden, Mr. 
  Israel, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Allen, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Price of 
North Carolina, Ms. Watson, Mr. Perlmutter, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, 
            Mr. Carter, Mr. Roskam, Ms. Lee, and Mr. Doggett

                             April 22, 2008

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
    [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on 
                           February 7, 2007]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for 
                       the people of Puerto Rico.

    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 2007''.

SEC. 2. PUERTO RICAN DECISION ON PRESENT STATUS.

    (a) Plebiscite.--The Puerto Rico State Elections Commission shall 
conduct a plebiscite in Puerto Rico not later than December 31, 2009. 
The two options set forth on the ballot shall be preceded by the 
following statement: Instructions: Mark one of the following two 
options:
            (1) Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of 
        territorial status and relationship with the United States. If 
        you agree, mark here __________.
            (2) Puerto Rico should pursue a constitutionally-viable 
        permanent non-territorial status. If you agree, mark here 
        __________.
    (b) Recommendatons.--If a majority of the validly-cast ballots in 
the plebiscite favors Option 2, Congress recognizes the inherent 
authority of the People of Puerto Rico to--
            (1) call a Constitutional Convention, constituted by a 
        number of delegates to be determined in accordance to 
        legislation approved by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, for 
        the purpose of proposing to the People of Puerto Rico a self-
        determination option which, if approved by the People of Puerto 
        Rico in a referendum, would be presented to Congress by the 
        Constitutional Convention; or
            (2) conduct a plebiscite administered by the Puerto Rico 
        State Elections Commission to consider a self-determination 
        option with the results presented to Congress.

SEC. 3. APPLICABLE LAWS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Applicable Laws.--All Federal laws applicable to the election 
of the Resident Commissioner shall, as appropriate and consistent with 
this Act, also apply to the plebiscite held pursuant to this Act. Any 
reference in such Federal laws to elections shall be considered, as 
appropriate, to be a reference to the plebiscite, unless it would 
frustrate the purposes of this Act.
    (b) Federal Court Jurisdiction.--The Federal courts of the United 
States shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any legal claims or 
controversies arising from the implementation of this Act.
    (c) Eligibility; Ballot.--Persons eligible to vote under this 
subsection shall, upon timely request submitted to the Puerto Rico 
State Elections Commission in compliance with any terms imposed by the 
Electoral Law of Puerto Rico, be entitled to receive an absentee ballot 
for the plebiscite. Each of the following shall be eligible to vote in 
the plebiscite held under this Act:
            (1) All eligible voters under the electoral laws in effect 
        in Puerto Rico at the time the plebiscite is held.
            (2) All United States citizens born in Puerto Rico who 
        comply, to the satisfaction of the Puerto Rico State Elections 
        Commission, with all Puerto Rico State Elections Commission 
        requirements (other than the residency requirement) applicable 
        to eligibility to vote in a general election.
    (d) Certification of Plebiscite Results.--The Puerto Rico States 
Elections Commission shall certify the results of the plebiscite held 
under this Act to the President of the United States and to the Members 
of the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States.

SEC. 4. FUNDS.

    During the period beginning October 1, 2007, and ending on the date 
the President determines that the plebiscite required by this Act has 
been held, the Secretary of the Treasury may allocate, from the funds 
provided to the Government of Puerto Rico under section 7652(e) of the 
Internal Revenue Code, not more than $5,000,000 for this plebiscite to 
the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico to be used for expenses 
of carrying out said plebiscite under this Act, including for voter 
education materials as certified by the President's Task Force on 
Puerto Rico's Status as not being incompatible with the Constitution 
and basic laws and policies of the United States. Such amounts shall be 
as identified by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status as 
necessary for such purposes.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 370

110th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 900

                          [Report No. 110-597]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for 
                       the people of Puerto Rico.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             April 22, 2008

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed