They reached a final agreement on the status quo bill to be tabled in the lower house

Washington DC.– Democratic Party leadership and Puerto Rican federal legislators reached a final deal tonight. US House of Representatives A proposal Referendum of the Federation Between the state, free association and independence.

The measure, which will be filed in the next few hours, further clarifies access to US citizenship under the first free association agreement between Puerto Rico and the United States.

The new language recognizes birthright US citizenship for children born to two US citizen parents. “Automatic birth access for children of two American parents has been proposed,” a source said.

while, According to an earlier reading of the draft law, repatriation under the first treaty of free association could be carried out under the immigration laws of the United States in the case of an American parent.

In addition, reference is now made to the use of federal contributions under any status alternative.

Recognizing the impact of federal taxes under statehood, one Democratic source said that even under Puerto Rico’s political sovereignty, U.S. businesses and citizens remain subject to federal tax regulations.

The agreement does not include any language on the language course, which, in turn, excludes a call for a public hearing of the action.

On the issue of citizenship, the measure would establish — as was already the case in the draft law — that Congress intended to end the transfer of U.S. citizenship at the end of the First Free Association Agreement.

A few hours earlier, the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, a Democrat Raul Grijalva (Arizona), Prev New day He confirmed tonight that he was prepared to call a voting session for next week – but time to reach an agreement was running out.

“Puerto Rico’s territorial status has long stifled the island’s potential for growth and prosperity. The people of Puerto Rico deserve a resolution to the political turmoil they have endured for years.Grijalva, Democratic Puerto Rican congressmen Nydia Velázquez and Darren Soto, and Jennifer González, the citizenship commissioner in Washington who works with Republicans, pointed out in a joint statement.

They confirmed that the bill will be tabled this week and will be published in both English and Spanish.

Puerto Rican Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortes indicated that she would not support the legislation until it was officially published in Spanish. But, at the same time, Ocasio Cortez – unlike Velázquez, Soto and González – is not part of the natural resources group.

“This legislation establishes a path toward decolonization of Puerto Rico, offering its residents the opportunity to choose between three non-territorial and fully autonomous political status options: statehood, independence, and sovereignty in free association with the United States. This historic proposal brings together stakeholders on all sides of the status quo debate and will strengthen Puerto Rico’s political status.” “Congress will fund and respect to present a democratic process for adjudication,” Grijalva, Velázquez, Soto and González said in their statement.

They also thanked House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) for his cooperation and expertise in new conversations with Puerto Rican federal legislators who negotiated the potential bill this week.

It maintains the idea of ​​promoting a binding and self-executing federal referendum in which the island’s voters can choose between free association, independence and statehood on November 5, 2023. If approved by the lower house, it would be the first time the legislature proposed a federal referendum that would override the current territorial or colonial status.

None of the three measures — 1990, 1998 and 2010 — aimed to hold a vote on status quo replacements approved by the Lower House advanced in the Senate.

This time, history will have to repeat itself if the House of Representatives approves the plan, which will be presented in the next few hours, because the matter is not on the agenda of the US Senate, where leadership has declined to advance a plan in favor. Statehood for Puerto Rico.

“My Priority Time”Grijalva hinted later in the afternoon when he announced that he was prepared to face criticism for not holding a public hearing on the bill in order to advance action in his committee ahead of the August recess that begins on July 29. September 13.

As Chairman Hoyer said, Grijalva then said that without consensus among the Puerto Rican legislators participating in the negotiations – Democrats Velasquez, Ocasio Cortes, Soto and Commissioner Gonzalez – nothing was going to happen.

But Grijalva already hoped to reach an agreement that would allow him to call a voting session next week. “Everyone has taken a serious stance on this issue and they want to move forward,” Grijalva said.

By rule, Grijalva must give at least two days’ notice to call a minority voting session. However, they are usually given a five-day slot, he said.

If he presents the bill on Thursday or Friday, Grijalva could call a voting session in his committee for the usual Wednesday, June 20. He indicated that his Environmental Justice Act is already scheduled for June 27.

Congressman Velazquez indicated on Twitter that the move included claims made in Puerto Rico in early June when he participated in a public forum with Grijalva, Gonzalez and Ocasio Cortez to meet with the island’s political parties.

“This is a historic agreement,” said Commissioner Gonzalez, who considers it a bipartisan project. Commissioner González is the only Republican, and Natural Resources Committee Minority Leader Bruce Westerman (Arkansas) has already voiced his opposition to the bill to El Nuevo Tía.

“(The plan) remains basically the same,” Commissioner Gonzalez said in a Facebook broadcast. Gonzalez said he hoped the vote would be confirmed next Wednesday, July 20, and stressed that the move reflected a message that the Commonwealth “does not want to decolonize.”

Republican Congressman Tom McClintock (Calif.), who opposes Puerto Rico’s statehood, said none of his colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee supported the draft legislation announced nearly two months ago.