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The Star-Ledger "House Oks Puerto Rico status vote Senate-bound bill is first step to adding a 51st state in 2008" by Christopher Marquis (03/05/98, Copyright Newark Morning Ledger Co., 1998) Handing Puerto Rico its best chance ever to become the 51st state, the House of Representatives last night narrowly authorized islanders to vote on whether they want to join the Union, seek independence or retain their status as a U.S. commonwealth. The 209-208 cliffhanger vote capped a lively 12-hour debate in which lawmakers forgot party loyalty, forged unlikely alliances and probed the tender issues of biculturalism and what it means to be American. The debate centered on the notion of the English language as a national glue versus the role of the Spanish language in preserving a distinct culture. A cheer went up on the House floor and in the galleries as the gavel went down, breaking several tense minutes as the vote tally moved back and forth between approval and disapproval. The bill now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain. Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) this week said elliptically that he did not foresee devoting much Senate time to a debate on Puerto Rico. President Clinton and most Democratic senators support the bill. Clinton, in a statement last night after the vote, called it "a victory for democracy and against exclusion." He praised the bill, saying it "does not impose onerous, unworkable, unprecedented, or unconstitutional language requirements on the citizens of Puerto Rico." The bill had the strong backing of Clinton and both GOP and Democratic House leaders. All but 43 Republicans voted against it and all but 31 Democrats voted for it. In the New Jersey delegation, all Democrats with the exception of Robert Menendez voted for the measure. Among the Republicans, Robert Franks, Rodney Frelinghuysen, James Saxton and Christopher Smith cast yes votes while Frank LoBiondo, Mike Pappas, and Marge Roukema voted no. Statehood backers received a big boost when the House rejected a proposal by Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-N.Y.) to require that the predominantly Spanish-speaking territory teach schoolchildren in English. Solomon's proposal was widely seen as a "poison pill" aimed at making Puerto Ricans reject the plebiscite bill. Instead, lawmakers approved an amendment by Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) that said there would be no special language requirements for a state of Puerto Rico that do not apply elsewhere in the nation. The approved legislation noted, however, that "it is in the best interest for the Nation of Puerto Rico to promote the teaching of English as the language of opportunity and empowerment," and urged it to make its students proficient in that language by age 10. Last night's vote paved the way for the first-ever congressionally sanctioned vote in Puerto Rico on its status. Previous plebiscites have been at the initiative of the local government, and never with a federal commitment to take action to implement Puerto Ricans' choice. Under the plan approved by the House, Puerto Ricans would have until the end of this year to hold a plebiscite and choose its status. The year is of symbolic importance to many islanders, as it marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. capture of Puerto Rico as booty in the Spanish-American War. If Puerto Ricans opt for statehood, the bill gives President Clinton six months to draft a 10-year transition plan, which would then be subject to congressional approval within 120 days. Congress and the citizens of Puerto Rico each would have two votes - on the transition plan and on final accession as a state - before the island acquired the 51st star in 2008. Advocates of the bill said they were determined to end a "colonial" status for Puerto Rico, under which residents hold U.S. citizenship, receive federal welfare and serve in U.S. wars but pay no income tax, have no voting representation in Congress and cannot vote for president. Rep. Jose Serrano, a New York Democrat who was born on the island, said Congress' commitment to respect the plebiscite is all that matters. "I don't care if statehood wins. I don't care if independence wins," he said. "I do care every morning when I wake up and know that the children of Puerto Rico are members of a colony." But critics - including those who favor the commonwealth or independence - charged that the bill introduced by Rep. Bill Young (R-Alaska) was weighted in favor of statehood. The options laid out in the bill, they said, sought to frighten Puerto Ricans that they might lose their U.S. citizenship if they continue to support the commonwealth. Solomon, whose New York district abuts Canada, warned that the United States would be absorbing "another Quebec" if it did not insist on minimal English-language requirements. "It is the common language of English that keeps us together, keeps our esprit de corps . . . and patriotism alive," he said. The planned plebiscite could not come at a better time for the backers of statehood. Both houses of Puerto Rico's government have pro-statehood majorities, and the popular governor, Pedro Rossello, is a vigorous champion. Still, islanders have never voted for statehood. In the last plebiscite, in 1993, supporters of the commonwealth narrowly prevailed at 48.6 percent over statehooders at 46.3 percent, with 4.4 percent favoring independence. Yesterday's debate turned Washington's establishment topsy-turvy. Statehood opponents forged an unusual alliance in which conservative Republicans sought to torpedo the bill by making English the official language for Puerto Rico, while liberal Puerto Rican Democrats tried to bring the bill down by designating Spanish as the island's official language. Republican and Democratic whips tossed up their hands as lawmakers defied the chains of command and voted their impulses. Options and outcomes of a Puerto Rico plebiscite STATEHOOD: Federal spending in Puerto Rico would increase from $10 billion to $14 billion annually, according to congressional estimates. Puerto Ricans, who now pay no federal income tax, would pay an estimated $49 million annually in federal income tax. Puerto Rico would get six seats in the House and two in Senate. The island now has one nonvoting delegate to Congress. Puerto Ricans could vote for president and vice president. COMMONWEALTH: Continued self-government in internal affairs; residents retain U.S. citizenship; levels of federal benefits and taxes continue to be determined by Congress. INDEPENDENCE: Puerto Rico has full authority over its territory, obtains its own citizenship, and is responsible for its own fiscal and monetary policy, immigration and trade policies. The U.S. Constitution no longer applies.
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