Further information: Proposed political status for Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican status referendum, 2012, and President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status
In 2005 and 2007, two reports were issued
by the U.S. President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status.[43][102]
Both reports conclude that Puerto Rico continues to be a territory of U.S.
under the plenary powers of the U.S. Congress.[102]
Reactions from Puerto Rico's two major political parties were mixed. The
Popular Democratic Party (PPD) challenged the task force's report[citation needed]
and committed to validating the current status in all international forums,
including the United Nations. It also rejected[citation needed] any "colonial or territorial status" as a status
option, and vowed to keep working for the enhanced Commonwealth status that was
approved by the PPD in 1998, which included sovereignty, an association based
on "respect and dignity between both nations", and common
citizenship.[112]
The New Progressive Party or New Party for Progress (PNP) supported[citation needed]
the White House Report's conclusions and supported bills to provide for a
democratic referendum process among Puerto Rico voters.
A 2009 CRS report suggested
that action might be taken in the 111th Congress. The reports issued in 2007
and 2005 by the President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status may be the basis for reconsideration of the existing
commonwealth status, as legislative developments during the 109th and 110th
Congresses suggested. Agreement on the process to be used in considering the
status proposals has been as elusive as agreement on the end result. Congress
would have a determinative role in any resolution of the issue. The four
options that appear to be most frequently discussed include continuation of the
commonwealth, modification of the current commonwealth agreement, statehood, or
independence. If independence, or separate national sovereignty, were selected,
Puerto Rican officials might seek to negotiate a compact of free association
with the United States.[113]
Congressman Luis Fortuño
meets with mayors from across the island of Puerto Rico in his congressional
office (2006)
On June 15, 2009, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization approved a draft resolution calling on the Government of
the United States to expedite a process that would allow the Puerto Rican
people to exercise fully their inalienable right to self-determination and
independence.[114]
On April 29, 2010, the U.S. House
voted 223–169 to approve a measure for a federally sanctioned process for
Puerto Rico's self-determination, allowing Puerto Rico to set a new referendum
on whether to continue its present form of commonwealth political status or to
have a different political status. If Puerto Ricans vote to continue to have
their present form of political status, the Government of Puerto Rico is
authorized to conduct additional plebiscites at intervals of every eight years
from the date on which the results of the prior plebiscite are certified; if
Puerto Ricans vote to have a different political status, a second referendum
would determine whether Puerto Rico would become a U.S. state, an independent
country, or a sovereign nation associated with the U.S. that would not be
subject to the Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution.[115]
During the House debate, a fourth option, to retain its present form of
commonwealth (sometimes referred to as "the status quo")
political status, was added as an option in the second plebiscite.[115][116]
Immediately following U.S. House passage,
H.R. 2499 was sent to the U.S. Senate, where it was given two formal readings and referred to the
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. On December 22, 2010, the 111th United States Congress
adjourned without any Senate vote on H.R.2499, killing the bill.[117]
The latest Task Force report was
released on March 11, 2011. The report suggested a two-plebiscite process,
including a "first plebiscite that requires the people of Puerto Rico to
choose whether they wish to be part of the United States (either via Statehood
or Commonwealth) or wish to be independent (via Independence or Free
Association). If continuing to be part of the United States were chosen in the
first plebiscite, a second vote would be taken between Statehood and
Commonwealth."[118]
On June 14, 2011, President Barack Obama
"promised to support “a clear decision” by the people of Puerto Rico on
statehood".[119]
That same month, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization passed
a resolution and adopted a consensus text introduced by Cuba's delegate on June
20, 2011, calling on the United States to expedite a process "that would
allow Puerto Ricans to fully exercise their inalienable right to
self-determination and independence."[111]
On 6 November 2012, a two question
referendum took place, simultaneous with the general elections.[120][120][121]
The first question asked voters whether they wanted to maintain the current
status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution. The second
question posed three alternate status options if the first question was
approved: statehood, independence or free
association.[122]
For the first question, 54 percent voted against the current Commonwealth
status, and in the second question, of those who responded, 61.1% favored
statehood.[123]
On December 11, 2012, Puerto Rico's Legislature passed a concurrent resolution
to request to the President and the U.S. Congress action on the November 6,
2012 plebiscite results.[124]
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