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National Public Radio Morning Edition "Congress Approves Puerto Rico Vote" (Aired 03/05/98, (c) Copyright Federal Document Clearing House. All Rights Reserved.) (Listen to this program from NPR's site) Brian Naylor, Washington, DC; Bob Edwards, Washington, DC Summary NPR's Brian Naylor reports on House passage of a bill that calls for holding a plebiscite in Puerto Rico by the end of the year in which residents could vote whether the island should become a state, an independent nation, or retain its commonwealth status. The bill passed by the narrowest of margins, 209-208. It has President Clinton's support, but there is serious doubt that the measure will clear the Senate, assuming it even comes to a vote.
Program Transcript BOB EDWARDS, HOST: This is MORNING EDITION. I'm Bob Edwards. The House of Representatives has given its go-ahead for residents of Puerto Rico to hold a plebiscite on their political future. By a one-vote margin, 209-208, the House approved a proposal whereby Puerto Ricans would decide by the end of the year whether to become a state, an independent nation, or retain commonwealth status. President Clinton supports the measure, but there's serious doubt that it will pass the Senate. NPR Congressional Correspondent Brian Naylor reports. BRIAN NAYLOR, NPR REPORTER: 100 years ago, the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory, a result of the U.S. victory in the Spanish-American War. The House's action yesterday is the first step that could put Puerto Rico on its war to becoming the 51st state. The primary sponsor of the plebiscite bill was Republican Don Young of Alaska, the next-to-last territory granted statehood. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DON YOUNG (R-AK): This legislation is just the beginning, it's one small step of many steps. It is a step for freedom. It's a small step for justice. It's a small step for America. But, collectively, it's a great stride for democracy and for justice. NAYLOR: The Puerto Rican plebiscite issue has gotten little attention in the U.S. but has been hotly debated in Puerto Rico. Groups on both sides of the question took out full-page ads in Washington newspapers and large numbers of supporters and opponents filled the halls surrounding the House chamber lobbying members. Members of Congress born in Puerto Rico or with Puerto Rican parents were divided on the measure. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat, said supporters of continued commonwealth status in Puerto Rico were getting shortchanged. The language of the plebiscite, she charged, favored statehood. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE NYDIA VELAZQUEZ (D-NY): It is an outrage to the democratic process that the definition for commonwealth status was written by the very party that opposes it. It's like allowing Republicans to decide who could appear on a Democratic ballot. NAYLOR: Puerto Rican-born Jose Serrano, another Democrat from New York, supported the plebiscite. The biggest threat to the proposal came from backers of an amendment to declare English the official language of the United States and of any new states. This was seen as an affront to many Puerto Ricans, the majority of whom speak Spanish. But Republican Gerald Solomon of New York argued a single language was crucial to the nation. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE GERALD SOLOMON (R-NY): We are a melting pot of the entire world, of every ethnic background in the entire world, and we're proud of that. But had we let these various languages become a part of our American culture, this democracy would not be here today. NAYLOR: Puerto Rico's nonvoting delegate to the House, Resident Commissioner Carlos Romero-Barcelo, argued against the English-language requirement. RESIDENT COMMISSIONER CARLOS ROMERO-BARCELO (D-PR), U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: We know we must speak English, everybody in Puerto Rico knows that. We know that English is the language of the world. What is anyone here afraid of? We should be, on the contrary, instead of trying to impose English, let us promote the learning of English by providing opportunities to learn English, providing more opportunities for people to understand the language and to speak it and to write it. NAYLOR: In the end, lawmakers for all intents and purposes voted to kill Solomon's amendment by requiring only that Puerto Rico be subject to the same language requirements as other states. If the vote envisioned by this proposal goes forward and statehood or independence emerges with a majority of support, it sets in motion a ten-year transition process. Several more votes in Congress and in Puerto Rico would be required before anything changes. There was bipartisan support in the House for the plebiscite. Some critics see the GOP leadership's allowing the measure to come to the floor as an effort to repair the party's image among Hispanic voters. But it's not clear how much farther the proposal will go. The Republican leader in the Senate, Trent Lott, says the Puerto Rican issue is not something the Senate will be able to spend a lot of time on. Brian Naylor, NPR News, the Capitol.
Content and programming copyright (c) 1998 National Public Radio, Inc. All rights reserved. Transcribed by Federal Document Clearing House, Inc. under license from National Public Radio, Inc. Formatting copyright (c) 1998 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio, Inc. This transcript may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission. For further information please contact NPR's Business Affairs at (202) 414-2954
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