[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E468]]


      THE UNITED STATES-PUERTO RICO POLITICAL STATUS ACT--H.R. 856

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NEIL ABERCROMBIE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 1998

  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 856, 
the United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act. My decision to 
support this legislation is based on my experiences in Puerto Rico and 
as a Member representing the last state to be admitted to the union. 
Not only do I believe the referendum mandated under this legislation to 
be in accord with the will of the people of Puerto Rico--I also believe 
it is morally incumbent upon the Congress to move the self-
determination process along. The United States cannot declare itself to 
be the capital of the free world when it denies the fundamental 
principles of democracy to a group of its citizens.
  Let me be clear, this legislation is not a statehood bill. It allows 
Puerto Ricans the right to express their own views about their island's 
destiny through an initial non-binding referendum. The next step in the 
process would require the aspirations of the majority of the people of 
Puerto Rico to be reviewed and approved by the President of the United 
States and the Congress. A change in status to either statehood or 
independence would actually required three island-wide majority votes, 
three congressional approvals, and a prudent transition period of ten 
years. Certainly much more thought, review, and revision would follow 
an approval of this legislation by the House of Representatives. 
However, we can at least do our duty as Members of Congress by 
providing the people of Puerto Rico with the opportunity to undertake 
the process.
  All the political conjecture about this legislation--``it creates an 
artificial majority in favor of statehood,'' or ``new Members of 
Congress from Puerto Rico will join the Democratic Party,'' or ``the 
definition of Commonwealth is unfair,'' or ``Puerto Rico will be 
America's Quebec,'' are all just that--conjecture. No one really knows 
what will result from this legislation, no one can predict the future. 
The lesson learned when Alaska and Hawaii joined the union as the 49th 
and 50th states bears this out. The political soothsayers of the day 
determined that Alaska would have a Democratic delegation and Hawaii 
would be Republican. As we all know, today the exact opposite is true. 
We cannot determine the future of Puerto Rico by voting for H.R. 856. 
however, we can stop the conjecture and begin the work it will take to 
give Puerto Ricans the ability to determine their own future.
  I would also like to address the question of English as the official 
language. As a legislator who supported the inclusion of Hawaiian and 
English as official languages of the State of Hawaii, I am proud to say 
that the recognition of both languages has been a benefit to our 
islands, not a deficiency. Children who attend Hawaiian immersion 
schools actually score higher in English and other academic disciplines 
than their classmates who do not have the reference point of a second 
language. By encouraging the study and knowledge of more than one 
language, the children discover a deeper meaning to their studies. They 
have a cultural reference point that children without the knowledge of 
their native language lack.
  Bilingualism is an asset--let us continue to encourage it in Hawaii 
and also Puerto Rico. A rich and unique cultural history should not 
divide Puerto Rico from the rest of the United States. A rich and 
unique cultural history defines who Puerto Ricans are today. Let us 
pass H.R. 856 and allow Puerto Ricans to define who they are and where 
they want to be in the future.

                          ____________________