Citizen Equality Initiative Introduced During Barbosa Celebration in NYC The Council participated in a celebration of the life Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa in New York City, July 27 with the Center for Puerto Rico Equality and Advancement (CPREA) and the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association (PRSSA). The event, entitled “A Celebration of the Life, Work and Legacy of Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa” took place in Midtown New York City and was hosted by Mr. Jim Montes of Nixon Peabody LLP. Council Executive Director Justin O’Brien represented the Council at the event and was joined by Jorge Torruella (NYU) of PRSSA. CPREA President Rafael Rodriguez served as the master of ceremonies for the event. Read More...
U.S. House Resolution Would Place Puerto Rico Statue In U.S. Capitol By Ashley Hawken
The Administration Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved a Resolution (H.R. 5493) authorizing the District of Columbia (DC) to install statues of two Washingtonians within the U.S. Capitol Building’s iconic Statuary Hall. If the measure becomes law, it would overturn the present requirement that only States of the Union may designate statues to represent them in the Hall. Read More...
Council Urges Senate Action on Puerto Rico Self-Determination U.S. Council for Puerto Rico Statehood Chairman Major General Orlando Llenza, USAF (Ret.) called on the Senate to act on The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2010 (H.R. 2499) and pass the legislation giving the 4 million American citizens in Puerto Rico the right to self-determination in the first-ever congressionally-sanctioned plebiscite on the issue. In the letter, dated June 29th, General Llenza stated the significance of the legislation, "as it would impartially ensure that Puerto Ricans understand the sense of Congress that Puerto Ricans should, of a right, voice their will and express their positions on self-determination." Read More...(Read the Council's Letter)
Senate Seeks President's Views on Puerto Rico Status Alternatives The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Ranking Member Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) formally requested the White House to elaborate on the President's position regarding The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2010 (H.R. 2499) and constitutionally-viable status alternatives in a letter dated May 27. The Senators requested the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status clarify the White House position on the issue. Read More...
Puerto Rico Equality Leaders Celebrate July Fourth Holiday in San Juan Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño joined Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi and San Juan Mayor Jorge Santini on July 4th in San Juan to commemorate the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Statehood for Puerto Rico leaders used the occasion to deliver remarks on the issues of Puerto Rico's continued drive for political equality and the inalienable rights of Puerto Ricans to equal United States citizenship. Read More...
Status Bill Authorizes Island Plebicite on Status Alternatives H.R. 2499 authorizes Puerto Rico to conduct an impartial two-part plebiscite providing an equal opportunity to maintain or terminate the current unequal territorial status of the island. Puerto Ricans would first vote on whether to maintain the current status quo and remain a U.S. Territory under Article IV of the U.S. Constitution or seek a sovereignty-granting alternative. Read More...
United Nations Recognizes Puerto Rico Right to Self-Determination The United Nations Committee for Decolonization met Monday June 21, 2010 to discuss the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States since 1898 and Puerto Ricans have been United States' citizens since 1917. Puerto Rico does not have voting representation in the U.S. Congress and Congress retains plenary authority over the island. The Committee unanimously adopted a resolution supportive of Puerto Rico self-determination. It was the tenth consecutive year that the Committee has approved a resolution in support of Puerto Rico self-determination. Read More...
Puerto Rico Resident Commisoner Invokes Dignity, Equality in Clarion Call for Puerto Rico Statehood Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Hon. Pedro R. Pierluisi issued a clarion call for citizen equality and Statehood for Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rico daily newspaper El Vocero on Friday, May 28, 2010. The Resident Commissioner is Puerto Rico's non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Read More...
After House Amendment, Passage, What Next for Puerto Rico's Self-Determination? With 223 votes in its favor, the United States House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2010 on April 29. The bill, cosponsored by 182 Representatives, will authorize a two-part plebiscite on the island and is heralded as a substantial step towards ending the 112 years of inequality for the people of Puerto Rico. Authored by Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, the bill proposes the first congressionally-sanctioned plebiscite concerning the island's unequal territorial status. Read More...
United States Plus One - The Prospect of Puerto Rico as the 51st State When HR.2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2010 passed the House 223 - 169, it barely gathered a whimper of press. The prospect of America gaining a new state would normally be newsworthy, yet H.R.2499 missed out. Meanwhile, decade old perceptions of Democratic gerrymandering, and opinions based on the 93 and 98 failed plebiscites re-surfaced. This 78 Minute Audio Documentary speaks with the participants themselves, and uncovers the story of what could become the most debated plebiscite in American history. Click here to hear the documentary
H.R. 2499 Committee Passage By a vote of 30-8, the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, overwhelmingly passed legislation (H.R. 2499 - The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009) to give congressional sanction to an island plebiscite on Puerto Rico's status for the first time in American history. Read More(July 22, 2009)
