If the Puerto Rico Status Act becomes law, Puerto Rico will no longer be a territory of the United States. It will be the 51st state, or the Republic of Puerto Rico, or perhaps the Associated Republic of Puerto Rico. Statehood is a clear and certain status; the U.S. Constitution requires that new states enter… Read more »
Puerto Rico is home to some 72,679 veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. There are currently 10 Veterans Administration medical facilities on the Island. The most recent figures from the Veterans Administration (VA) show that the VA hospital in San Juan received just 2 of 5 possible stars in their official review. There are… Read more »
Since the 1950s there has been a story that Puerto Rico’s relationship with the U.S. is unique and, unlike all other U.S. territories, this relationship confers entitlements and powers that are even greater than those found in states. The First Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion last week that clarifies, once again, that this… Read more »
The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization approved a resolution this month “reaffirming the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence.” Over the past 50 years, this committee has made this same resolution 40 times. As Andrés L. Córdova, a law professor at Inter American University of Puerto Rico, pointed out… Read more »
A number of people in favor of Puerto Rican independence spoke at a public hearing on the Puerto Rico Status Act on the need for clarity and further elaboration of the definition of statehood included in the proposal. There are currently 50 states, providing precedent on the rights of U.S. citizens living in a state…. Read more »
The Puerto Rico Status Act, a proposal compiled from two Puerto Rico status bills introduced during the current Congress, is pending before Congress and awaits consideration in a key committee. The options on the ballot, the definition of each option, and the fate of U.S. citizenship in a sovereign nation of Puerto Rico have been… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Status Act is a proposal built on ideas contained in two competing bills on Puerto Rico’s political status. Members of Congress spent months working to come up with a bill that both sides — statehood and independence supporters — could support. If the bill becomes law, it will offer statehood or sovereignty… Read more »
The White House has released a report documenting how the American Rescue Plan advanced equity throughout the United States. The report notes in particular how the 2021 law made a big difference for Puerto Rico. “We knew that the implementation of this historic piece of legislation would be one of the first tests of the President’s… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Status Act, the discussion draft compromise bill on Puerto Rico’s political status currently being considered in Congress, calls for a vote on three options: statehood sovereignty in free association with the U.S. independence Among the issues presented in the bill, one of the most challenging is the question of U.S. citizenship. At… Read more »
Andres Cordova has written an essay at El Vocero examining the issue of citizenship under independence, with or without a Compact of Free Association. “The misnamed draft consensus Puerto Rico Status Act bill implies certain premises that require further discussion, particularly with regard to American citizenship under Independence under its two modalities,” he writes. “The draft… Read more »
Recent Comments