[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO

  (Mrs. MURPHY of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, 10 days ago, Puerto Rico held a 
vote on its future political status. Although the ballot was not 
preapproved by the U.S. Department of Justice as envisioned by a 2014 
Federal law, the ballot was fair. It included Puerto Rico's three valid 
options: statehood, nationhood, and the current territory status. Each 
option was accurately described.
  In our democracy, only those who cast ballots are counted, and those 
who voted in Puerto Rico overwhelmingly chose statehood. It is now up 
to Puerto Rico's elected officials, especially its Governor and 
Delegate in Congress, to determine how best to move forward. They can 
count on my full support.
  As I see it, in the wake of this vote, the question is not whether 
but, rather, when Puerto Rico will become a State. After 119 years, it 
is well past time for the U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico to have 
the same rights and responsibilities as their fellow citizens living in 
Florida and in other States.
  Puerto Rico has made countless contributions to this Nation for 
generations. It has earned its own star on the American flag.

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