Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Congress tackles issue of Puerto Rico’s status

  • Politics
  • by Ana Radelat
  • June 23, 2015
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Washington – For the first time since the Republican Party took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, Congress will hold a hearing on Puerto Rico’s status.

Wednesday’s hearing, featuring witnesses representing all of Puerto Rico’s political parties, has been scheduled by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, the head of the House natural resources subcommittee. It has authority over the five U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. In addition to considering the island’s identity as a geo-political unit, the hearing will also focus on Puerto Rico’s severe economic problems.

Young has long favored granting statehood to Puerto Rico and cosponsored legislation proposed by Resident Commisioner Pedro Pierluisi that would require a vote on the island within one year on the statehood question.

While there are about 3.7 million Puerto Ricans still living on the island, there are 4.6 million living in the United States. And the concentration of Puerto Ricans is higher in Connecticut than in any other state. According to the 2010 census, 7.1 percent of Connecticut’s population is Puerto Rican, followed by New York (5.5 percent) and New Jersey (4.9 percent).

Charles Venator-Santiago, a political science professor at the University of Connecticut who is also with the school’s Institute for Latino Studies, said the hearing is likely to produce more smoke than fire because the GOP-controlled Congress does not favor giving Puerto Rico a chance at statehood.

“It doesn’t make sense from a congressional standpoint,” Venator-Santiago said of Young’s effort. “Can you imagine a Republican Congress granting Puerto Rico statehood  status?”

Granting Puerto Rico statehood would give the island two U.S.senators and five members of the House of Representatives — the same representation as Connecticut, which has a similar population.

And, like Connecticut, those new members of Congress would probably be Democrats, Venator-Santiago said.

The GOP would not accept an increase in the number of Democrats in Congress, and redistricting to create those new seats could result in a loss of seats in red states like Texas.

Puerto Rico’s political parties reflect the divergent views of the residents on the island’s status. Pierluisi’s New Progressive Party favors statehood. The Popular Democratic Party favors keeping Puerto Rico a territory, and the Puerto Rico Independence Party, naturally, favors independence.

Venator-Santiago said he favors independence too, but realizes he’s in a minority.

He said most Puerto Ricans favor the status quo. But that was difficult to determine from a referendum on the issue held on the island in 2012.

The referendum asked voters whether they agreed to continue with Puerto Rico’s territorial status. It also asked voters to indicate the political status they preferred from three possibilities: statehood, independence, or a sovereign nation in free association with the United States.

About 54 percent voted “no” on continuing as a territory and 46 percent voted “yes,” to maintain the current political status. Of those who answered on the second question, about 61 percent chose statehood, 33 percent chose free association, and 5.5 percent chose independence.

But leaders of the Popular Democratic Party who favor the status quo recommended voting “yes” to the first question, and leaving the second question blank as a protest to what they called “an anti-democratic process.” The large number of blank ballots make the referendum meaningless, they said.

Yanil Terón, executive director for the Center For Latino Progress, also said the referendum was flawed.

However, she says there should be new attempts to determine what status for the island the people of Puerto Rico want to end “the constant bickering” that impedes political and economic progress. Terón was born in Puerto Rico, but has lived in the United States for more than 30 years.

“I appreciate that Congressman Don Yong is holding the hearing, but I don’t think there is support in Congress for statehood,” she said.

Questions have arisen over Young’s motivations. Politico was the first to report that Young attended a fundraiser hosted for him in San Juan, P.R., by Igualdad Futuro Seguro, a pro-statehood political action committee just a few days before Wednesday’s hearing.

Young spokesman Matt Shuckerow said the congressman’s experience representing Alaska, which was a U.S territory before it became the nation’s 49th state, gives him a unique perspective on Puerto Rico’s situation.

“It has been four years since the House Natural Resources Committee has given the people of Puerto Rico an opportunity to discuss this very important issue, and the upcoming oversight hearing has been a priority for the congressman…,” he said.

The hearing comes at a time when the island’s governing officials are in a rush to complete the territory’s 2016 budget by June 30.

Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who will not testify at Young’ hearing, has said he has considered asking Congress to allow the territory to declare bankruptcy as it faces $72 billion in public debt.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Final passage of ‘Crown Act’ comes on unanimous vote
by Mark Pazniokas

With a unanimous vote, Connecticut became the latest state to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.

Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as U.S. Secretary of Education
by Adria Watson

Cardona was the youngest principal in the state of Connecticut.

Nora Dannehy named top legal aide to Lamont
by Mark Pazniokas

The hiring of Nora Dannehy brings a high-profile legal talent into Lamont's office at the mid-point of his four-year term.

Equity issues dominate hearing on Lamont’s marijuana bill
by Kelan Lyons and Mark Pazniokas

The administration's testimony took up the hearing's first five hours. More than 130 people are signed up to speak.

Connecticut House joins national civil rights campaign over Black hair styles
by Mark Pazniokas

The Connecticut House voted for a bill intended to protect Black women from discrimination over their hair.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Fitness is part of Connecticut’s COVID solution
by David Humphrey

Based on what we now know about infection rates and transmission, it is more apparent than ever before that gyms, fitness centers, and the physical and mental health benefits of exercise are essential to help our state get through the months ahead.

Opinion Connecticut can’t afford state government-run health insurance
by Mike Licamele

As much as I support strengthening and improving healthcare, I do not believe SB 842 is the way to do that. Instead of trying to force Connecticut residents into a new, government-controlled healthcare system, lawmakers should focus on improving our existing one by building on what’s working and continuing to address lowering costs, not raising taxes

Opinion Disabled, marginalized, stalled and walled
by Doris Maldonado

As a bilingual health information specialist for PATH P2P Family Voices CT and National Family Voices Cultural Responsiveness Telehealth Team, I offer more than professional expertise as well as despair for the marginalized within marginalized communities. I am a Latina with disabilities, adoptive mother of 17-year-old twins with special needs and a thriving toddler.

Opinion The marijuana legalization debate must be based on facts
by Will Jones III

In response to my earlier piece on why Connecticut lawmakers should reject marijuana commercialization,  Brendan Ruberry wrote a rebuttal that, on its face seems scathing, but to be clear, the attempted rebuttal falls flat and well off the mark.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO