WASHINGTON -- An influential Senate chairman Friday offered legislation giving Puerto Rico the chance to vote on its political future, but he made no promise that Congress will follow through.
Sen. Frank Murkowski, head of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, laid out his definitions of the three options for Puerto Ricans: statehood, continued commonwealth status or independence.
He said, however, that the bill is "absolutely not" binding on Congress to accept the choice Puerto Ricans make.
Murkowski, R-Alaska, said he agreed with commonwealth advocates who had complained that a bill the House passed earlier this year was too heavily biased toward statehood.
Murkowski called his bill "a scaled-down, objective bill."
His proposal does not include a provision in the House bill that pro-commonwealthers detest: that Puerto Ricans vote on the issue repeatedly until either statehood or independence wins.
The requirement for repeated voting "gives people the message: 'You got it wrong; you voted for commonwealth. You've got to vote again,"' said Anibal Acevedo, president of the pro-commonwealth Popular Democratic Party.
Acevedo opposes Murkowski's bill, though, because it says that, under commonwealth status, Puerto Ricans are "statutory" U.S. citizens. That means their citizenship is based on law, not the Constitution.
"Statutory" citizenship can be revoked by Congress, although Murkowski stressed that no one intends to do that to Puerto Ricans. People born in the 50 states are citizens under the Constitution, which means their citizenship can't be revoked by Congress.
That distinction has provoked strong feelings at hearings this summer. Puerto Ricans opposed to statehood have accused politicians of using the issue as a subtle threat to take away their long-held U.S. citizenship if they don't choose statehood.
Acevedo said Congress ought to spell out that no one is going to take Puerto Ricans' citizenship away. "This is still a statehood bill," he said.
But statehood advocate Carlos Romero-Barcelo, the island's delegate to Congress, said statutory citizenship is the law, and Puerto Ricans should know that when they vote.
"We want the people of Puerto Rico to vote for realities, not pipe dreams," he said.
The House passed by one vote a bill that would give Puerto Ricans a chance to vote on the three options.
But Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has shown no interest in bringing the measure to the Senate for a full vote.
Xavier Romeu, head of Puerto Rico's Washington office, called on Lott to take a new look at Murkowski's offering, which he called "an important breakthrough for self-determination and enfranchisement."
Murkowski said Lott gave him no indication that he had changed his mind. But neither did Lott urge against passage of the plebiscite bill out of committee, he said.
Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., a member of that committee, has said repeatedly that ifCongress endorses the plebiscite it should be prepared to vote for whichever choice the Puerto Ricans make.
Graham spokesman Chris Hand said that although Murkowski's legislation makes no mention of Congress following through, Graham will push his colleagues to make a "moral compact" to abide by the Puerto Ricans' decision.
Murkowksi said he would proceed with the legislation because Congress owes Puerto Ricans the ability to choose their own fate.
Even so, Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Rosello is not waiting for Congress. He will hold a plebiscite on Dec. 13 on the three options, whatever happens on Capitol Hill. But the vote cannot force Congress to act.
