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USA Today "House OKs letting Puerto Ricans vote on statehood" Jessica Lee (03/05/98, Copyright 1998) WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to allow Puerto Rico to hold a special referendum on statehood. President Clinton called it a "victory for democracy and against exclusion. "The bill does not impose onerous, unworkable, unprecedented, or unconstitutional language requirements on the citizens of Puerto Rico, unlike some proposals that were advanced in Congress," Clinton said in a statement. The 209-208 vote followed an earlier attempt by statehood opponents to establish English as the official U.S. language. Since both English and Spanish are common languages in Puerto Rico, the "official language" proposal was widely seen as a maneuver to derail the statehood bill. Instead, the House substituted an amendment that would subject residents of Puerto Rico to the same language requirements of any state if it becomes the 51st state. The United States has no official language. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said the amendment vote "shows a growing recognition within the Republican Party that they can't keep risking Hispanic-American votes based upon language." The bill approved Wednesday night would set up a vote before the end of 1998, Puerto Rico's 100th anniversary as a U.S. territory. Residents would be asked whether they would prefer to become a state, continue as a territory or become an independent nation. If statehood wins, the bill sets up a 10-year transition period and requires further votes by Congress and Puerto Ricans. A similar bill is pending in the Senate. Puerto Ricans who seek statehood have the support of Clinton, Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt in their push for a plebiscite. The status issue is so central to Puerto Rico's politics, economy and culture that its three main political parties are organized around the separate options of U.S. statehood, free association and independence. Islanders never have voted to petition for statehood. Three times they have voted in nonbinding referendums to maintain their status as a commonwealth of the United States. Puerto Rico came under U.S. sovereignty 100 years ago as one of the spoils of the Spanish-American War. Today, its 3.8 million residents are U.S. citizens with no representation in the Senate. Their delegate to Congress has no vote on the House floor. Puerto Ricans cannot vote in presidential elections, and they pay no federal income taxes. Puerto Rico's per-capita income of $7,000 is one of the highest of all Caribbean islands but about half that of the poorest U.S. state. [PHOTO, B/W,Tim Sloan, AFP]
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