|
 |
|
|
|
The Atlanta Journal "STATEHOOD REFERENDUM House clears way for Puerto Rico vote" Shelley Emling STAFF (03/05/98, Copyright 1998 The Atlanta Journal / The Atlanta Constitution) Washington - With the slimmest of margins, the House voted Wednesday night to give Puerto Rico a chance of becoming the 51st state. After rejecting an effort by opponents to scuttle the bill with an English-only provision, the House voted 209-208 to hold a special referendum in Puerto Rico this year, the 100th anniversary of Puerto Rico becoming a U.S. territory. The House bill sets in motion a process that could lead to independence or the creation of the 51st state within 10 years. An effort to attach an English-language requirement to the bill was thwarted when the House voted 265-153 for an amendment that would subject Puerto Rico, if it becomes a state, to the same language requirements as any other state. The United States has no official language. Although Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, the age-old political debate over statehood is a contentious one that goes to the heart of what it means to be American and what it means to be Puerto Rican. Only an estimated 25 percent of Puerto Rico's population of 3.8 million speak English, while Puerto Rico's closest neighbors and biggest cultural influences have been other Spanish-speaking nations. "Statehooders say they want to have representation in Congress, but sending representatives to Washington, where people speak a different language and have different roots, is simply ridiculous," said Victor Garcia San Inocencio, a lawyer who is the sole Independence Party member in Puerto Rico's House. "We want to preserve our culture, and we want to preserve our roots," he said. Puerto Ricans cannot vote for president and have only one nonvoting representative in Congress. They are exempt from federal taxes and get only limited federal aid --- about $10 billion in 1997. As a state, Puerto Rico would have two senators and up to eight representatives in the House. The debate over the bill, sponsored by the chairman of the House Resources Committee, U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) disintegrated early Wednesday into a battle over English-language requirements. Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Rules Committee, tried unsuccessfully to block Young's bill with an amendment to declare English "the official language of the United States." Should Puerto Ricans vote for statehood, the Solomon amendment would have forced the island to promote English as the language of the courts and the government, and to teach in English in public schools. Young's bill had the support of House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) as well as that of President Clinton. "The people of Puerto Rico deserve an opportunity to vote on their future," Gephardt said. Solomon's amendment drew passionate criticism. U.S. Rep. David Bonior (D-Mich.) charged that citizens would be denied their constitutional rights under the measure. "Telling people what language to speak is akin to telling them what words they must speak," he said.
|
