Jenniffer González-Colón

The issues of Puerto Rico have been discussed for more than 100 years.

Does our bill, the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act, address the concerns by authorizing a self-executing process...

Should Puerto Rico require that?

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

Does the U.S. Constitution require a specific level of majority support for statehood in order to admit a territory as a state?

Some argue that the result of November of last year was an invalid or illegitimate mandate for statehood...

The status of statehood got more votes than any elected official, the Governor, myself, mayors, and state legislators.

We are answering to that request and that request of statehood and equality, with that stated bill.

Those margins are not good enough for the people of Puerto Rico to establish their vote for statehood.

52 percent of the vote was for statehood, which is an absolute majority, and just 47 percent against.

Perhaps most importantly, under this legislation, for the very first time, the world's oldest and greatest democracy would offer equality to citizens who have been unequal to their fellow Americans for well over a century.

When statehood is granted, the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico will have equal rights, equal responsibilities, and full representation in the U.S. Congress.

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.

I ask you, both on behalf of your fellow Americans in Puerto Rico, and as a clear way to strengthen democracy for all Americans, to respond to the will of the people of Puerto Rico by approving legislation that will initiate the admission…

The bipartisan H.R. 1522 would constitute Congress's response to our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico and provide a formal offer of statehood.

That bill is truly a slap in the face to Puerto Rican voters!

Let me be clear, there is nothing that this other legislation will offer to Puerto Rico that has not already been discussed in 123 years.

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.

I am the one elected to represent them, and I am doing so by filing this bill.

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

Let me be clear. There is nothing that this other bill, or this other legislation, will offer Puerto Rico that has not been already discussed in 123 years. It is nothing new.

I would love your office to work with us in terms of looking ways to extend that waiver that we do have for 2 years to make it permanent.

I do support it. We voted for that in November of last year.

Make the funding available for the territories. This is a priority for millions of Americans who depend on it for our healthcare.

Total Federal funding for the territorial Medicaid programs has been inadequate to meet the healthcare expenditures for patients to receive effective diagnosis, treatment, and care.