US lawmakers introduce bill to untangle Puerto Rico status

If passed, US lawmakers introduced a draft legislation that would trigger a binding referendum on Puerto Rico's political status.

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The Puerto Rico Status Act was introduced by Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, who said it was a compromise measure that would allow the US commonwealth of 3.2 million people to decide its fate.

Puerto Ricans could choose from three options: independence, statehood, or sovereignty in free association with the US. It would require Congress to act on the vote.

The Puerto Rican people do not want to be a colony, and the United States of America does not want to be a colonialist power, Hoyer said at a press conference in Washington Thursday. The legislation is intended to address that issue. Arizona Democrat Raul Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said he would start circulating the draft for comment in hopes of pushing it through. Two competing status bills were introduced last year, sapping momentum from both of them, he said.

The effort comes as some Democrats see statehood for Puerto Rico as a way to solidify control of Congress. Puerto Rico is a Democratic state and would be eligible for two Senate seats and five House seats if it were a state.

The island has been a U.S. possession since 1898 when William McKinley s administration seized the colony at the end of the Spanish-American War. Since then, La Isla del Encanto has gained greater autonomy but is still at a disadvantage when it comes to federal funding, programs and representation. Since 1917, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens, but they don't have the right to vote for president and don't have a say in Congress.

There have been several attempts to untangle the Puerto Rico status knot since 2012, including three nonbinding referendums. In 2020, 53% of voters on the island said they favored statehood.