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Newsday "House OKs P.R. Vote on Statehood" By Ellen Yan. WASHINGTON BUREAU (03/05/98, Copyright Newsday Inc., 1998) Washington - By one "yea," less than two hours before midnight, the House voted yesterday to end a century-old colonial oversight of Puerto Rico by giving the island the right to decide on statehood, independence or the current commonwealth status. The 209-208 vote did not fall along party lines and came after a long, emotional debate over the citizenship status of Puerto Rico residents and whether English should be the only official language, even though just 25 percent of the population speaks fluent English. The measure now goes to the Senate. Final passage was achieved after a significant watering-down of the English-only requirement, which had threatened to stall the bill. The House turned aside the English-only requirement and instead adopted, 265 to 153, an alternative by Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) that would promote English proficiency in schools and under statehood require Puerto Rico to follow language laws that govern every other state. Furious over the amendment, brought by Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-Glens Falls), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) told the House that his father, who was born in Puerto Rico, had been ridiculed for his flimsy command of English, but served proudly in the military and had every sign of a good citizen. "My dad didn't get to see me till I was a year old, Mr. Solomon, because he was called and he served," Gutierrez said. The English-only debate was only one of several controversies that dogged the plebiscite bill and delayed a final vote on the measure until late into the night. Many Puerto Ricans and their congressional allies attacked the bill as a "trap," saying the bill was written to favor statehood and was crafted without feedback from those who support continuing commonwealth status or independence. Among the issues currently dividing Puerto Ricans are questions about who should vote - Puerto Ricans in the United States or territorial residents only. By an overwhelming margin, 356-57, the House defeated an amendment that would have allowed Puerto Ricans who live on the mainland to vote. Puerto Rico's residents were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917 and it is a commonwealth with its own local government. Its delegate to Congress - Carlos Romero-Barcelo (D) - does not have voting rights. It is widely believed that the bill would pave the way for either statehood or continued commonwealth status. In a 1993 referendum, 48.4 percent of Puerto Rico's residents chose the commonwealth option and 46.3 percent opted for statehood. Only 4.4 percent chose independence. The issue also has fostered uncommon alliances, with many Republicans favoring giving Puerto Rico the vote, even though some expect the island will send Democrats to Congress if statehood is the outcome. "It's wrong for the U.S. to have a territory or colony," said Rep. Pete King (R-Seaford), who considers self determination a critical human rights issue. King voted in favor of Solomon's amendment. He gave as a warning the division between French-speaking Quebec and the rest of Canada. "If Puerto Rico is going to come into the country as a state, and I support that, it's important for them to realize all business should be conducted in English or else we run the risk of dividing the country," King said.
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