Bob Barr: “we have heard a lot of proponents of H.R. 856 argue that this bill is necessary in order to offer the people of Puerto…”

“we have heard a lot of proponents of H.R. 856 argue that this bill is necessary in order to offer the people of Puerto Rico the opportunity to determine their own political destiny. This is not right. This is not correct. No one disputes that Puerto Rico should have the right to self-determination. As a matter of fact, they already have that right. Nothing prevents the Puerto Rican people from petitioning Congress for admission to the Union without the necessity of a federally-mandated plebiscite. But Puerto Rico has not done so. Why not? It may very well be that because ever since the first plebiscite was held in 1952, the majority of Puerto Ricans have never asked for statehood. In the last plebiscite, held in 1993, none of the status options received a majority of the vote. In fact, only 46 percent of Puerto Ricans chose statehood, while an even larger number, 49 percent, voted to retain Commonwealth status. Concerning the permanent, irrevocable nature of statehood, it does not make sense to grant it unless the overwhelming majority of Puerto Ricans favor such a step. Recent national polls show that American and Puerto Ricans alike support a requirement that statehood be approved by a supermajority of Puerto Rican voters. According to an April 1997 Public Opinion Strategies poll, 61 percent of mainland Americans favored a requirement that statehood be approved by a supermajority of at least 75 percent of the popular vote.”