[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 URGING MEMBERS TO SUPPORT H.R. 856 AND ALLOW A VOTE ON THE STATUS OF 
                              PUERTO RICO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, for half a century our Nation has been 
committed to political freedom and self-determination around the world. 
In his special message to Congress on Puerto Rico on October 16, 1945, 
President Truman said, ``To this end I recommend that the Congress 
consider each of the proposals, and that legislation be enacted 
submitting various alternatives to the people of Puerto Rico. In that 
way, the Congress can ascertain what the people of the island 
themselves most desire for their political future.''
  Since then, Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, 
and Clinton all have supported self-determination for Puerto Rico. 
Moreover, both the Democratic and Republican Party platforms have 
supported self-determination by the people of Puerto Rico. But support 
is not enough.
  Therefore, I come before the House to remind Members that next week 
we will be taking up H.R. 856, a bill submitted by the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Don Young) and supported by yours truly and many Members on 
this side. In fact, it has bipartisan support.
  This bill would allow, for the first time ever, a federally-sponsored 
plebiscite in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico where people can choose 
to remain a Commonwealth, choose statehood, or choose independence or 
free association. What I think is most important as we look forward to 
this vote is to fully understand that unlike some opponents' comments, 
the bill does not commit this Congress to any one option. In other 
words, this is not, I repeat, this is not, a pro-statehood bill. If you 
have a problem with statehood, or if you have a problem with 
independence, or if you have a problem with the Commonwealth status, 
this bill would only allow, this November, for a vote to be taken in 
the Commonwealth. Then 180 days later we take up the result. Then you 
can bring up the issue of whether you support statehood or not based on 
their requests.
  So it is important as we look forward to next week that we do not 
allow some people to muddy the waters by suggesting that this bill 
favors statehood. But from 1493 to 1898, Puerto Rico was a colony of 
Spain. Now, from 1898 to this July 25th, 1998 will be another 100 years 
of colonial status.
  I know that the minute some of us mention the word ``colony'' some 
people react to it and say, well, it is truly not a colony. It is a 
self-governing commonwealth. But the fact of life is that the 
government and the people of Puerto Rico cannot establish relationships 
with another government at this point. They cannot trade ambassadors, 
they cannot trade on their own, they cannot set up foreign affairs 
offices. Therefore, they are not an independent nation.
  At the same time, they do not have six Members of Congress and two 
U.S. Senators who sit here, they have one Representative who does not 
have a vote in Congress representing 4 million people. So it is not a 
State.
  I ask the Members, if it is not a State and it is not an independent 
nation, call it whatever you want, it is a colony. Even though we do 
not pay much attention to the United Nations, the United Nations has 
suggested that by the year 2000 every country in the world do away 
with, get rid of, or solve the problem of any colonies they may hold.
  Next week is a historic moment during the commemoration of this 100-
year relationship. By passing the Young bill, we will allow 4 million 
Puerto Rican citizens on the islands of Puerto Rico to make this 
decision for themselves, and then we will put forth our advice.
  It is interesting to note that in 1917 Congress took a vote and gave 
the citizens of Puerto Rico American citizenship. Since then Puerto 
Ricans have fought in every war, have participated in every Democratic 
and Republican Convention, and yet have had very little representation, 
if any, at the Federal level. This bill will give us the opportunity, 
once and for all, to do in Puerto Rico what we preach to the rest of 
the world.
  I ask the Members, as I ask them on so many other occasions, can we 
truly demand for the Cuban government to hold ``free elections'' if we 
do not allow for 100 years a free election in Puerto Rico to determine 
its future? Secondly, can we promote democracy throughout the world and 
demand that people, as they should be, be free of all persecution, if 
we on one hand say ``you are 4 million American citizens,'' and on the 
other hand say ``but you do not have the same rights either as an 
independent nation or as a member of the union?"
  Think of this. If any one colleague who is here with us today, or 
anyone watching this program, was to move to Puerto Rico with me, they 
would immediately lose all their rights. So I ask Members next week to 
vote for the Young bill, a way out of this problem.

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