The legislation faces unlikely odds in the US Senate where at least 60 votes are needed to have it approved…reports Asian Lite News
The US House of Representatives passed legislation that would set a vote on Puerto Rico’s political status.
The bill — titled the Puerto Rico Status Act — went through the House in a 233-191 vote on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
The measure, if enacted, would schedule a vote on a binding referendum for Puerto Ricans to choose among statehood, independence, and independence with free association.
The legislation faces unlikely odds in the US Senate where at least 60 votes are needed to have it approved.
A Caribbean island, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated US territory with more than 3 million residents.
Lawmakers from both sides debated the merits of the Puerto Rico Status Act on the House floor Thursday. While Democrats insisted the legislation is a significant step toward Puerto Rico’s decolonisation, Republicans worried over the economic implications of changing Puerto Rico’s status, NBC news reported.
Puerto Ricans living on the island have been American citizens for over a century. They can be drafted and serve in the US military but are unable to vote for president. They don’t pay federal income taxes, since they don’t have voting representation in Congress.
But they do pay payroll taxes, helping fund federal programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Puerto Rico has limited or no access to these federal programs with the potential to serve as lifelines in a territory where more than 40% of the population lives in poverty, it was reported.
