Small Business Health Relief Act of 2013

Mr. President, it is important for the United States to continue its efforts to promote a close relationship with Puerto Rico and its citizens. That includes supporting a fair and democratic process for Puerto Ricans on the perennial and controversial issue of statehood.

I commend Puerto Rico's new Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla on his work to tackle the current challenges facing the island, particularly on the economic front. Congress has long supported reciprocity between Puerto Rico and the United States, with very positive results. When the Puerto Rican economy flourishes, trade with the United States increases, helping promote job creation here at home.

I am disappointed the most recent budget proposal submitted to Congress by the White House recommends $2.5 million in fiscal year 2014 to conduct yet another referendum on Puerto Rico's political status. Allocating U.S. taxpayer dollars for this purpose is wasteful and unnecessary, since a plebiscite was just held in Puerto Rico last November on this very question.

The vote on Election Day specifically called for Puerto Ricans to express their views on the island's political status. Its backers sought to show that popular support exists for turning Puerto Rico into a State. But it is widely acknowledged that the ballot was not developed in a fair and inclusive manner. It instead presented statehood alternatives with a predetermined result in mind, to force Puerto Ricans toward an option they have rejected time and again, and to stack the deck in favor of statehood.

The first part of the ballot asked whether or not Puerto Rican voters wanted to continue their territorial status. The second portion then provided three different non-territorial alternatives: statehood, sovereign free associated state, or independence. Keeping the island's current Commonwealth status was not even listed as an option in the second round.

As expected, a slim majority--nearly 51.7 percent of the 1.9 million who voted--opted for changing the current status. However, in response to the second question, 834,191 voters chose statehood, 498,604 left the second question blank, 454,768 selected sovereign free associated state, and 74,895 favored independence. Any way you slice it, 1,028,267--or nearly 55 percent--of the Puerto Ricans who traveled to the polls voted for options other than statehood.

As Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, the first woman of Puerto Rican heritage elected to the United States House of Representatives, correctly pointed out: ``Casting a blank ballot is part of traditional form of objecting to an unfair process in Puerto Rican political history.'' In accordance with this tradition, the Commonwealth Party in Puerto Rico adopted a resolution calling on Puerto Rican voters to protest last November's plebiscite process by casting blank ballots.

When you include the nearly half a million voters who left the second question on the ballot blank, it is clear--despite the claims of some statehood proponents--that a majority of voters do not support statehood for Puerto Rico. In fact, more than 1 million, or nearly 55 percent, of Puerto Rican voters who participated in the plebiscite actually demonstrated support for something other than statehood.

A concurrent resolution was adopted last week by the legislature in Puerto Rico stating that the plebiscite on November 6, 2012, portrayed a false majority in favor of statehood and prevented an accurate vote on the option of Commonwealth status. I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Record the text of that resolution.

The Senate and The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege to visit Puerto Rico three times over the years and have enjoyed many visits and meetings with citizens and officials of Puerto Rico when they have come to Washington. I believe that Puerto Rico is a beautiful island, but more importantly it has many wonderful people.

I have been involved in the issue of statehood for Puerto Rico for many years. While I love Puerto Rico and its people, I do not believe any place should become another state unless an overwhelming majority of its citizens support statehood. This is certainly not the case in Puerto Rico at this time. In fact, support for statehood in Puerto Rico has consistently remained at around less than half the population.

I appreciate very much the contributions of Puerto Rico and its citizens to our Country, and I especially admire and respect the service of many Puerto Ricans in the U.S. military.

I hope that the U.S. and Puerto Rico continue to have the closest possible ties. When the economy of Puerto Rico is strong, trade with the U.S. increases creating jobs in both places. What is good for the U.S. is generally also good for Puerto Rico, and vice versa.

I am always willing to consider and occasionally even support the right of the citizens of Puerto Rico to have referenda or plebiscites on the statehood question. It would be foolish and too expensive to have such a vote every year, but certainly I would not object to having such a vote once every few years.

However, my main goal would be to make sure that such a plebiscite be conducted in the fairest way possible. I, and many, many others, felt that the most recent plebiscite was skewed in a way to tilt the election toward statehood.

Now, I am told both the House of Representatives and Senate of Puerto Rico have passed a resolution stating that the plebiscite held on November 6, 2012 portrayed a false majority in favor of statehood and prevented an accurate vote on the option of commonwealth status.

I want to make absolutely sure that any future plebiscite on the question of statehood be conducted in the fairest way possible and certainly not in a way biased toward any particular outcome.

I want to help do everything possible so that everyone can work together to help foster economic growth for those of us in the 50 states, as well as for our friends, the citizens of Puerto Rico.

The Senate and The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 24, 113th Congress, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 55 minutes p.m.), the House adjourned until Tuesday, October 22, 2013, at 2 p.m.