Statehood is not just about equality, but it is also about empowerment.

I was just introducing 12 letters for the record, Mr. Chairman.

Is anyone in your committees wishing to sentence another generation of Puerto Ricans to broken families and certain poverty?

The only acceptable response to this clear expression of a desire for permanent status as a state of the Union is the enactment of H.R. 1522, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act.

A yes-or-no vote cannot be fairer. A yes-or-no vote cannot be more inclusive.

Democracy will not be denied.

the legislation, which was modeled on the two-part structure endorsed by the Bush and Obama Task Force reports, again failed to advance in the Senate.

Let there be no doubt, the weight of their opinions stems from the Territorial Clause and not from the freely and democratically stated will of the people on the Island.

people of the island cherish American citizenship, and that is the reason in the last three plebiscites, statehood has won those plebiscites.

a Resident Commissioner in Congress from the Territory of Puerto Rico.

Not only that--the bill shamelessly ignores the will of voters in Puerto Rico, ignores a legitimate democratic process, and ignores self-determination, despite the bill's misleading title.

Definitely. That is what we are talking about mostly. It has economic development implications, quality of life implications, but at its heart this is a civil rights issue.

We respect them and are aware of all Congressmen and women's authority to file bills that transcend their districts' limits.

the least that Congress should be doing is responding to this vote.

This bill was introduced earlier this year by Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR-AL) and Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL-9)

However, we reject using their authority as a subterfuge to impose their will against a clear, direct, and forceful expression of the people.

We cannot know the partisan makeup of a congressional delegation for the state of Puerto Rico until the U.S. citizens there are afforded full voting rights.

Is it required to have a federally sponsored referendum as a prerequisite for Congress to act?