[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 6, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E12]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ADOPTING THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 117TH 
                                CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                     HON. JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON

                             of puerto rico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 4, 2021

  Miss GONZALEZ-COLON. Madam Speaker, I express my opposition to the 
proposed House Rules governing the 117th Congress.
  As the Congresswoman for Puerto Rico, I represent 3.2 million Puerto 
Ricans, American citizens by birth since 1917. Yet as such I have no 
vote on passage of measures.
  While House Resolution 8 will continue to provide the Delegates and 
the Resident Commissioner a vote in the Committee of the Whole, the 
vote will only count if the votes cast are not deciding votes.
  If Delegates or the Resident Commissioner, while in the Committee of 
the Whole, cast deciding votes, the measure will receive a re-vote 
without any delegate or Resident Commissioner casting a vote during the 
second vote.
  This is just a reflection of a continued injustice and a step that 
does little or nothing to address it.
  More than a symbolic expression, my constituents need equal standing.
  This past November, Puerto Ricans exercised their choice by casting 
623,053 votes for statehood, capturing 52-percent of the total vote. 
This referendum was a straight yes-no question as to the ultimate will 
of the Puerto Rican voters.
  Puerto Rico demands equality. My constituents voted for equal voting 
representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the United 
States Senate, which can only be achieved through statehood.
  Puerto Rico would have at least four U.S. Representatives in the 
House and the Constitutionally mandated two Senators when it becomes a 
state. This would give the island six electoral votes during a 
Presidential election cycle.
  And still, there are those who still try to subvert the will of the 
voters who actually live in the island.
  All the crises that Puerto Rico has suffered during the past four 
years, including hurricanes, earthquakes, the coronavirus pandemic, and 
the fiscal crisis, demonstrate the urgency of achieving equality with 
the states.
  That is why statehood cannot wait any longer. The island must receive 
the same treatment that is received in the rest of the nation. There is 
strength in the Union, particularly in moments of collective crisis.
  The territorial status is also primarily responsible for the island's 
economic underdevelopment and decline.
  According to the Census there are 5.4 million Puerto Ricans living in 
the rest of the United States as opposed to 3.26 million living on the 
island--a difference of 2.1 million people, driven by the lack of 
opportunity.
  It's a pleasure to serve in this House, the most diverse in its 
history. However, we are failing to address the pressing issue of 
Puerto Rico's need for real, not symbolic votes in Congress.
  The island deserves equality, and my constituents deserve 
representation.

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