The purpose of the bill is straightforward. What Congress is doing is authorizing the Government of Puerto Rico to conduct one or more plebiscites in which the people of Puerto Rico will be able to express their views regarding the…

It is about time we hear from the people of Puerto Rico. That is my prayer to this committee.

Laws enacted by Congress often treat residents of Puerto Rico worse than their fellow citizens in the states.

I must re-affirm the fundamental principle that the proposed constitution represents: the right of the people of the Virgin Islands to govern themselves.

There is no more significant step in reaching that goal than drafting and ratifying our own constitution.

The intervening months have only strengthened my conviction that the proposed constitution, despite its many flaws, must be returned to the people of the Virgin Islands for acceptance or rejection by referendum.

The proposed constitution is not merely a legal document; it is, however flawed, a symbol of the Virgin Islands' right to self-determination.

H.R. 2499, for the first time, will allow voters to choose directly with their vote.

Puerto Ricans are proud Americans who suffer second-class citizenship that is not constitutionally-guaranteed.

H.R. 2499 creates 'an artificial majority for statehood' because the territorial 'Commonwealth' option is, or was not competing directly with the other options.

H.R. 2499 is a bill about democracy, as the title suggests. It deals with the right of self-determination, and Congress doing the right thing.