House approves referendum to ‘decolonise’ Puerto Rico
A woman waves the flag of Puerto Rico during a news conference on Puerto Rican statehood on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The US House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate.
The bill, which passed 233-191 with some Republican support, would offer voters in the US territory three options: statehood, independence or independence with free association.
“It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonise Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Raúl Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in US territories.
The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it.
Voters also could choose outright independence or independence with free association, whose terms would be defined following negotiations over foreign affairs, US citizenship and use of the US dollar.