A bill has been introduced to the U.S. Congress that could make Puerto Rico the 51st state.
For almost 50 years, the U.S. has been made up of 50 states. In 1959, Hawaii was the last state added to the Union, but that could change.
Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States for more than a century, and some people think it’s time for the commonwealth to become a state. The topic has sparked a heated debate.
“Statehood would go against that sense of uniqueness, culture, identity that we do have under commonwealth,” Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila said.
“As a U.S. citizen, if you live in Puerto Rico, you are stripped of your rights,” Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico’s only non-voting congressman, said.
Acevedo-Vila believes his people are better off the way they are now.
“We are U.S. citizens, we are a commonwealth of the U.S., but we are a nation sociologically. We call ourselves Puerto Ricans. We don’t call ourselves Puerto Rican-Americans,” Acevedo-Vila said.
Puerto Ricans do not currently pay taxes and do not vote for U.S. president, but they do receive welfare and unemployment benefits and pay Social Security. Puerto Ricans also serve in the U.S. military.
Fortuno said Puerto Ricans in the U.S. military are why Puerto Rico should become a state.
“We have fought in every single war since the first world war,” Fortuno said. “We are proud to be Americans, and we are bound by the same values that actually make us the greatest nation in the world.”
“As a senator who represents a lot of Puerto Rican people in this state, I should give them a voice, and I know it’s a big deal to the people of Puerto Rico,” Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said.
Martinez said the people of Puerto Rico should decide their own fate.
In August, Martinez introduced a bill to Congress that would set a date for a federally sanctioned vote on the island, which would allow Puerto Ricans to choose between commonwealth status, independence, free association or statehood.
Commonwealth status would mean no change, but independence would make the island a sovereign nation and free association would mean independence with a special relationship to the U.S.
“Since 1898, Puerto Rico has been essentially in a limbo colonial status, and it’s just not right. There’s not too many places in the world where a complete lack of definity exists for a people,” Martinez said.
Puerto Ricans have voted on their status before. In those non-binding referendums, known as plebiscites, Puerto Ricans have rejected statehood.
“I think that Puerto Rico in the future should get a better deal with the U.S. Congress in order for the island to get more power, more autonomy,” Acevedo-Vila said.
“We’re not asking for any special treatment,” Fortuno said. “We just want to participate fully in this experiment. We want to carry our own weight.”
Martinez said, ultimately, Congress has the last word on the status of Puerto Rico, no matter what the voters on the island choose.
If Puerto Rico becomes a state, it would be represented by six members of Congress and two U.S. senators.
Martinez’s bill is now in the hands of a Senate committee. Lawmakers are expected to act on the bill early next year.
