Bill Text: TX HR221 | 2017 | 85th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging Congress to support statehood for Puerto Rico.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-08-07 - Filed [HR221 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HR221-Introduced.html
| 85S12373 KSM-D | ||
| By: Isaac | H.R. No. 221 | |
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| WHEREAS, In the plebiscite conducted in June 2017, Puerto | ||
| Ricans voted overwhelmingly in favor of statehood for the U.S. | ||
| territory; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The United States acquired Puerto Rico in 1898, | ||
| following the Spanish-American War, and the Jones Act of 1917 | ||
| conferred U.S. citizenship on all Puerto Ricans; in 1952, Puerto | ||
| Rico ratified a constitution, subsequently approved by the U.S. | ||
| Congress, which states, "We consider as determining factors in our | ||
| life our citizenship of the United States of America and our | ||
| aspiration continually to enrich our democratic heritage in the | ||
| individual and collective enjoyment of its rights and privileges; | ||
| our loyalty to the principles of the Federal Constitution . . ."; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the past century, Puerto Ricans have fought for | ||
| America in every war, and the territory is extremely well | ||
| represented in our armed forces today; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the June plebiscite, over 97 percent of the | ||
| voters endorsed statehood; while some of the 2.2 million registered | ||
| voters joined an organized boycott, turnout still reached | ||
| approximately 25 percent, an impressive rate for a single-issue, | ||
| nonbinding referendum; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Puerto Rican voters have expressed tremendous | ||
| support for statehood, and the U.S. Congress should respect the | ||
| clear results of the democratic process; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas | ||
| Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby urge the United States | ||
| Congress to support statehood for Puerto Rico; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of | ||
| this resolution to the president of the United States, to the | ||
| president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of | ||
| Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the | ||
| members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that | ||
| this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a | ||
| memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. | ||
