[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AGAINST H.R. 856, PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD BILL

  (Mr. GUTIERREZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose H.R. 856, the Puerto 
Rico statehood bill. Supporters want us to believe the goal of H.R. 856 
is to give Puerto Ricans a fair opportunity to decide their future 
relationship with the United States. Sadly, the only goal of H.R. 856 
is to bring statehood to Puerto Rico, despite the clear and consistent 
opposition of the majority of Puerto Ricans.
  I want to be an enthusiastic supporter of a true process of self-
determination. That is why I am adamantly opposed to any efforts to 
force statehood on Puerto Ricans. This flawed bill distorts the 
definition of ``commonwealth,'' the favored status of the plurality of 
the Puerto Rican people, threatening to deny U.S. citizenship to the 
children of Puerto Ricans if commonwealth is chosen. It threatens the 
Puerto Rican people with the loss of Federal benefits if they reject 
statehood. It denies Puerto Ricans on the mainland in the United States 
the right to participate in this vital process. It neglects our 
distinct Puerto Rican history as a people and a nation. It abandons the 
idea of democracy and embraces the imposition of the will of the few on 
the hopes and dreams of the many. I urge my colleagues to stand with 
the majority of the Puerto Rican people and oppose H.R. 856.

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