[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 71 (Thursday, May 17, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H2820-H2821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1050
                  TERRITORIAL TANF EQUITY ACT OF 2012

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Madam Speaker, today I'm introducing legislation to 
provide equitable treatment to Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories 
under the TANF program, which provides cash payments to needy families 
with children.
  Currently the territories are not eligible for supplemental grants, 
contingency funds, and child care funds under TANF. Moreover, Federal 
law imposes an annual cap on the overall funding that each of the 
territories can receive under a variety of public assistance programs, 
including TANF. My legislation removes this funding cap and makes the 
territories eligible for TANF grants that they do not presently 
receive.
  Puerto Rico is treated unfairly under Federal programs designed to 
help our

[[Page H2821]]

Nation's most vulnerable residents. This TANF bill complements two 
previous bills I have introduced, which would include my constituents 
in SSI and SNAP. To see how Puerto Rico was hurt by its current 
territorial status, one need only look at the island's shocking 
treatment under these three key programs.
  When you look at the status and well-being of all the American 
citizens living in the territories, you realize that what they face is 
geographic discrimination. It makes no sense to penalize the American 
residents who decide to reside in the five territories belonging to the 
United States. The only reason that sometimes is raised for such 
discrimination is that the residents of the territories do not pay 
Federal income taxes. But it is not right to even raise that argument 
when close to half of the U.S. households in the U.S. and the U.S. 
mainland in the 50 States are not paying Federal income taxes because 
of their income levels. It is also not right when most of the vast 
majority of the residents in the territories would not pay Federal 
income taxes anyway.
  What we're talking about is fairness. What we're talking about is 
parity. There should be equal treatment for all American citizens, 
regardless of where they reside within America. I support statehood for 
Puerto Rico for several reasons, one of which is this concept of 
parity. Once a territory becomes a State, it doesn't have to seek 
parity. It automatically participates in all Federal programs.
  That's one reason. But I support statehood for Puerto Rico for a more 
important reason. I'm talking about the lack of voting rights for the 
residents of Puerto Rico. I, for one, suffer the consequences. I am the 
one the American citizens in Puerto Rico elect to represent them in 
this Congress. When I come to this Chamber, I can speak, I can 
introduce legislation, I belong to committees. But when the time comes 
to vote for or against bills that benefit or affect my constituents, I 
cannot do so. My name doesn't even appear on the electronic board here 
in this Hall. That is embarrassing. It hurts me, and it hurts my 
constituents.
  If Puerto Rico were a State, we would have at least five Members in 
the House of Representatives and two Senators advocating for our 
residents. That's one of the reasons I support statehood. But there's 
more to it than that.
  Last year, President Obama visited Puerto Rico. I felt so proud 
because I had something to do with it. But you know what? It is 
embarrassing to say that no President had visited Puerto Rico in an 
official capacity in 50 years. We had to wait 50 years for a President 
to show up in Puerto Rico. I am sure that if the American citizens 
living in Puerto Rico were given the right to vote for their President, 
Presidents would be visiting Puerto Rico on a regular basis. They would 
be making commitments, they would be learning about our needs, and they 
would be doing the right thing with respect to the American citizens 
living in Puerto Rico.
  On November 6, there will be a plebiscite in Puerto Rico and two 
questions will be posed before the voters. The first question will be 
whether they want Puerto Rico to continue being a territory of the 
United States. We have to ask that question because that's how 
democracy works. The second question will ask them to express their 
preference with respect to the three available status options we have, 
apart from the current territorial status: statehood, independence, and 
free association. I hope they answer those questions, sending a message 
loud and clear to this Congress that they no longer want to be a 
territory and they want to be the 51st State of the Union.

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