[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 22656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 22656]]

                   PUERTO RICAN ELECTIONS COMMISSION

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, this Congress has taken a historic step to 
advance the process of self-determination


of the American citizens of Puerto Rico by approving an appropriation 
of $2.5 million as requested by the President for a grant to the 
Elections Commission of Puerto Rico to be used for voter education and 
a choice among the island's future status options. As an advocate of 
that process and the need to resolve the island's political status 
after 102 years, I am pleased that we have acted.
  This is historic because it represents the first authorization from 
Congress for the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to choose the 
ultimate political status for their island. Presidents since Truman 
have been seeking such an authorization and each house has passed 
similar language in the past, but the same language has never passed 
both houses and been enacted into law. Our approval of this 
appropriation should be read as Congress' determination to resolve the 
century-long question of the island's ultimate status and let Puerto 
Rican Americans choose a fully democratic governing arrangement if they 
wish to replace the current territorial status.
  By adopting this provision as part of the unanticipated needs account 
of the Office of the President, it is Congress' intention that its 
support for a future vote in Puerto Rico be coordinated with the 
Administration's efforts to provide realistic options to be included on 
the ballot in the island's next referendum. In recent months the 
President has brought Puerto Rico's major political parties together in 
an unprecedented effort to define the available political status 
options. Our approval of the $2.5 million request evidences our 
expectation that the White House will provide realist options upon 
which to base a future status referendum. It can only responsibly 
allocate the funds for the consideration of options that are realistic.
  Mr. President, the ultimate resolution of Puerto Rico's political 
status will require that Congress and the American citizens of Puerto 
Rico work together to make a choice based on clearly defined status 
options that are consistent with the U.S. Constitution. The action we 
have taken is a major contribution towards that goal.

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