I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 727 

To set forth the process for Puerto Rico to be admitted as a State of 

the Union. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2015 

Mr. PIERLUISI (for himself, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. BEYER, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. 

BROWN of Florida, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. 

CICILLINE, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COSTA, 

Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. CURBELO of Florida, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. DIAZBALART, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. 

GABBARD, Mr. GRAYSON, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HOYER, Mr. 

HUFFMAN, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KIND, Mr. KING of New 

York, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. 

MARINO, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. MICA, Mr. MURPHY of Florida, Ms. NORTON, 

Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. POLIS, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. RIBBLE, Ms. ROSLEHTINEN, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. 

TAKAI, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. MAXINE WATERS

of California, Mr. WELCH, and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To set forth the process for Puerto Rico to be admitted 

as a State of the Union. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puerto Rico Statehood 

3 Admission Process Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) In 1898, Puerto Rico became a United 

7 States territory and persons born in Puerto Rico 

8 have been granted United States citizenship since 

9 1917, pursuant to Public Law 64–368. 

10 (2) In 1950, Congress enacted Public Law 81– 

11 600, authorizing Puerto Rico to draft a local con12 stitution. In 1951, a constitutional convention was 

13 held in Puerto Rico to draft the constitution. On 

14 March 3, 1952, Puerto Rico ratified the constitution 

15 and submitted it for approval by Congress. On July 

16 3, 1952, Congress enacted Public Law 82–447, 

17 which made changes to the constitution, and ap18 proved the constitution subject to Puerto Rico’s ac19 ceptance of these changes. The changes were accept20 ed by the delegates to the constitutional convention, 

21 and the constitution of Puerto Rico took effect on 

22 July 25, 1952. The constitution establishes a repub23 lican form of government, is not repugnant to the 

24 Constitution of the United States, and is the func25 tional equivalent of a state constitution. 


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1 (3) On November 6, 2012, the Government of 

2 Puerto Rico held a two-part plebiscite organized 

3 under local law. The first question asked voters if 

4 Puerto Rico should continue to be a territory, and 

5 54 percent of voters rejected territory status. The 

6 second question asked voters to express their pref7 erence among the three possible alternatives to terri8 tory status—statehood, independence, and nation9 hood in free association with the United States—and 

10 61 percent of voters who selected an option chose 

11 statehood. The number of votes cast for statehood 

12 on the second question exceeded the number of votes 

13 cast for continued territory status on the first ques14 tion. 

15 (4) On August 1, 2013, the Committee on En16 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate held a 

17 hearing to receive testimony on the 2012 plebiscite. 

18 In his opening statement, the Chairman of the Com19 mittee said that ‘‘there is no disputing that a major20 ity of the voters in Puerto Rico—54 percent—have 

21 clearly expressed their opposition to continuing the 

22 current territorial status’’. The ranking minority 

23 member of the Committee agreed, stating that ‘‘it is 

24 clear to me that the majority of Puerto Ricans do 

25 not favor the current territorial status’’. 


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1 (5) Also at the August 1, 2013 hearing, the 

2 Chairman recognized that ‘‘for Puerto Rico to meet 

3 its economic and social challenges and to achieve its 

4 full potential, this debate over status needs to be 

5 settled’’ and that ‘‘the current relationship under6 mines the United States’ moral standing in the 

7 world. For a nation founded on the principles of de8 mocracy and the consent of the governed, how much 

9 longer can America allow a condition to persist in 

10 which nearly four million U.S. citizens do not have 

11 a vote in the government that makes the national 

12 laws which affect their daily lives?’’ The Chairman 

13 acknowledged that, for Puerto Rico to have full self14 government, it must become ‘‘a sovereign nation or 

15 achieve equality among the States of the Union’’. 

16 (6) The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget 

17 requested $2.5 million for the first Federally spon18 sored plebiscite in Puerto Rico’s history, to be held 

19 on options that would ‘‘resolve Puerto Rico’s future 

20 political status’’ and that are found by the Depart21 ment of Justice not to be ‘‘incompatible with the 

22 Constitution and laws and policies of the United 

23 States’’. This proposal was enacted in January 2014 

24 as part of Public Law 113–76. 


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1 (7) Alaska and Hawaii are the most recent ter2 ritories to become States of the Union. Public Law 

3 85–508 (July 7, 1958), ‘‘an act to provide for the 

4 admission of the State of Alaska into the Union’’, 

5 and Public Law 86–3 (March 18, 1959), ‘‘an act to 

6 provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into 

7 the Union’’, were enacted after a majority of voters 

8 in each territory expressed a desire for statehood in 

9 plebiscites organized under local law. These Acts of 

10 Congress provided that admission would occur if a 

11 majority of voters affirmed in a Federally sponsored 

12 plebiscite that the territory should ‘‘be admitted into 

13 the Union as a State’’. The Federally sponsored 

14 plebiscite in the territory of Alaska was held on Au15 gust 26, 1958, and Alaska was admitted into the 

16 Union on January 3, 1959. The Federally sponsored 

17 plebiscite in the territory of Hawaii was held on 

18 June 27, 1959, and Hawaii was admitted into the 

19 Union on August 21, 1959. 

20 SEC. 3. VOTE ON ADMISSION. 

21 (a) VOTE.—The State Elections Commission of Puer22 to Rico is authorized to provide for a vote on the admis23 sion of Puerto Rico into the Union as a State within one 

24 year of the date of enactment of this Act, in accordance 

25 with rules and regulations determined by the Commission, 


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1 including qualifications for voter eligibility. The ballot 

2 shall ask the following question: ‘‘Shall Puerto Rico be ad3 mitted as a State of the United States? Yesll Noll’’. 

4 (b) FUNDS FOR VOTE.—The funds made available 

5 pursuant to Public Law 113–76 may be used to conduct 

6 the vote. 

7 SEC. 4. CERTIFICATION AND TRANSMITTAL OF RESULTS. 

8 Not later than 10 days after the certification of the 

9 vote by the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico, 

10 the Governor of Puerto Rico shall transmit the certified 

11 results to the President of the United States, the Speaker 

12 of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro 

13 Tempore of the Senate. 

14 SEC. 5. TRANSITION PROCESS. 

15 If a majority of the votes cast in the vote conducted 

16 pursuant to section 3 are for Puerto Rico’s admission into 

17 the Union as a State— 

18 (a) PROCLAMATION.—Within 30 calendar days of re19 ceipt of the certified results transmitted pursuant to sec20 tion 4, the President shall issue a proclamation to begin 

21 the transition process that will culminate in Puerto Rico’s 

22 admission into the Union as a State effective January 1, 

23 2021. 

24 (b) COMMISSION.—Within 90 calendar days of re25 ceipt of the certified results transmitted pursuant to secVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:30 Feb 11, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H727.IH H727

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1 tion 4, the President shall appoint a Commission on the 

2 Equal Application of Federal Law to Puerto Rico. 

3 (1) PURPOSE.—The Commission shall survey 

4 the laws of the United States and make rec5 ommendations to Congress as to how laws that do 

6 not apply to the territory or apply differently to the 

7 territory than to the several States should be amend8 ed or repealed to treat Puerto Rico equally with the 

9 several States as of the date of the admission of 

10 Puerto Rico into the Union as a State. 

11 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Commission shall con12 sist of five persons, at least two of whom shall be 

13 residents of Puerto Rico. 

14 (3) REPORT.—The Commission shall issue a 

15 final report to the President of the United States, 

16 the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 

17 the President Pro Tempore of the Senate by July 1, 

18 2018. 

19 (4) TERMINATION.—Upon issuing the final re20 port under paragraph (3), the Commission shall ter21 minate. 

22 (5) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The 

23 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), 

24 other than section 14, shall apply to the Commis25 sion. 


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1 SEC. 6. RULES FOR ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICES. 

2 (a) PREPARATION FOR ELECTIONS.—Not later than 

3 January 1, 2020, Puerto Rico shall carry out such actions 

4 as may be necessary to enable Puerto Rico to hold elec5 tions for Federal office in November 2020 in accordance 

6 with this section. 

7 (b) PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.—With respect to the 

8 election for the office of President and Vice President held 

9 in November 2020— 

10 (1) Puerto Rico shall be considered a State for 

11 purposes of chapter 21 of title 3, United States 

12 Code; 

13 (2) the electors of Puerto Rico shall be consid14 ered electors of a State for purposes of such chapter; 

15 and 

16 (3) for purposes of section 3 of such title, the 

17 number of electors from Puerto Rico shall be equal 

18 to the number of Senators and Representatives to 

19 which Puerto Rico is entitled during the One Hun20 dred Seventeenth Congress, as determined in accord21 ance with subsections (c) and (d). 

22 (c) ELECTION OF SENATORS.— 

23 (1) ELECTION OF 2 SENATORS.—The regularly 

24 scheduled general elections for Federal office held in 

25 Puerto Rico during November 2020 shall include the 

26 election of 2 Senators, each of whom shall first take 


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1 office on the first day of the One Hundred Seven2 teenth Congress. 

3 (2) SPECIAL RULE.—In the election of Senators 

4 from Puerto Rico pursuant to paragraph (1), the 2 

5 Senate offices shall be separately identified and des6 ignated, and no person may be a candidate for both 

7 offices. No such identification or designation of ei8 ther of the offices shall refer to or be taken to refer 

9 to the terms of such offices, or in any way impair 

10 the privilege of the Senate to determine the class to 

11 which each of the Senators elected shall be assigned. 

12 (d) ELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the first day of 

14 the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, and until 

15 the taking effect of the first reapportionment occur16 ring after the regular decennial census conducted for 

17 2020, Puerto Rico shall be entitled to the number of 

18 Representatives to which it would have been entitled 

19 for the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress if Puerto 

20 Rico had been a State during such Congress, as 

21 shown in the statement transmitted by the President 

22 to Congress under paragraph (2). 

23 (2) DETERMINATION OF INITIAL NUMBER.— 

24 (A) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 

25 July 1, 2019, the President shall submit to 


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1 Congress a statement of the number of Rep2 resentatives to which Puerto Rico would have 

3 been entitled for the One Hundred Sixteenth 

4 Congress if Puerto Rico had been a State dur5 ing such Congress, in the same manner as pro6 vided under section 22(a) of the Act entitled 

7 ‘‘An Act to provide for the fifteenth and subse8 quent decennial censuses and to provide for ap9 portionment of Representatives in Congress’’, 

10 approved June 28, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 2a(a)). 

11 (B) SUBMISSION OF NUMBER BY CLERK.— 

12 Not later than 15 calendar days after receiving 

13 the statement of the President under subpara14 graph (A), the Clerk of the House of Rep15 resentatives, in accordance with section 22(b) of 

16 such Act (2 U.S.C. 2a(b)), shall transmit to the 

17 Governor of Puerto Rico and the Speaker of the 

18 House of Representatives a certificate of the 

19 number of Representatives to which Puerto 

20 Rico is entitled during the period described in 

21 paragraph (1). 

22 (3) TERMINATION OF OFFICE OF RESIDENT

23 COMMISSIONER.—Effective on the date on which a 

24 Representative from Puerto Rico first takes office in 

25 accordance with this subsection, the Office of the 


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1 Resident Commissioner to the United States, as de2 scribed in section 36 of the Act of March 2, 1917 

3 (48 U.S.C. 891 et seq.), is terminated. 

4 (e) ADMINISTRATION OF PRIMARY ELECTIONS.— 

5 Puerto Rico may hold primary elections for the offices de6 scribed in this section at such time and in such manner 

7 as Puerto Rico may provide, so long as such elections are 

8 held in the manner required by the laws applicable to elec9 tions for Federal office. 

10 SEC. 7. ISSUANCE OF PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION. 

11 Following the transition process set forth in section 

12 5, the President shall issue a proclamation declaring that 

13 Puerto Rico is admitted into the Union on an equal foot14 ing with the other States, effective January 1, 2021. Upon 

15 issuance of the proclamation by the President, Puerto Rico 

16 shall be deemed admitted into the Union as a State. 

17 SEC. 8. STATE OF PUERTO RICO. 

18 Upon the admission of Puerto Rico into the Union 

19 as a State— 

20 (a) STATE CONSTITUTION.—The Constitution of the 

21 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be accepted as the 

22 Constitution of the State. 

23 (b) TERRITORY.—The State shall consist of all of the 

24 territory, together with the waters included in the seaward 

25 boundary, of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 


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1 (c) CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT.—The persons 

2 holding legislative, executive, and judicial offices of the 

3 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall continue to discharge 

4 the duties of their respective offices. 

5 (d) CONTINUITY OF LAWS.— 

6 (1) TERRITORY LAW.—All of the territory laws 

7 in force in Puerto Rico shall continue in force and 

8 effect in the State, except as modified by this Act, 

9 and shall be subject to repeal or amendment by the 

10 Legislature and the Governor of Puerto Rico. 

11 (2) FEDERAL LAW.—All of the laws of the 

12 United States shall have the same force and effect 

13 as on the date immediately prior to the date of ad14 mission of Puerto Rico into the Union as a State, 

15 except for any provision of law that treats Puerto 

16 Rico and its residents differently than the States of 

17 the Union and their residents, which shall be amend18 ed as of the date of admission to treat the State of 

19 Puerto Rico and its residents equally with the other 

20 States of the Union and their residents. 

21 SEC. 9. EFFECT ON MEMBERSHIP OF HOUSE OF REP22 RESENTATIVES. 

23 (a) TEMPORARY INCREASE DURING INITIAL PE24 RIOD.— 


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1 (1) TEMPORARY INCREASE.—During the period 

2 described in paragraph (1) of section 6(d)— 

3 (A) the membership of the House of Rep4 resentatives shall be increased by the number of 

5 Members to which Puerto Rico is entitled dur6 ing such period; and 

7 (B) each such Representative shall be in 

8 addition to the membership of the House of 

9 Representatives as now prescribed by law. 

10 (2) NO EFFECT ON EXISTING APPORTION11 MENT.—The temporary increase in the membership 

12 of the House of Representatives provided under 

13 paragraph (1) shall not, during the period described 

14 in paragraph (1) of section 6(d)— 

15 (A) operate to either increase or decrease 

16 the permanent membership of the House of 

17 Representatives as prescribed in the Act of Au18 gust 8, 1911 (2 U.S.C. 2); or 

19 (B) affect the basis of reapportionment es20 tablished by the Act of June 28, 1929, as 

21 amended (2 U.S.C. 2a), for the Eighty Second 

22 Congress and each Congress thereafter. 

23 (b) PERMANENT INCREASE EFFECTIVE WITH NEXT

24 REAPPORTIONMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Effective with respect to the 

2 One Hundred Eighteenth Congress and each suc3 ceeding Congress, the House of Representatives shall 

4 be composed of a number of Members equal to the 

5 sum of 435 plus the number by which the member6 ship of the House was increased under subsection 

7 (a). 

8 (2) REAPPORTIONMENT OF MEMBERS RESULT9 ING FROM INCREASE.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 22(a) of the 

11 Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for the fifteenth 

12 and subsequent decennial censuses and to pro13 vide for apportionment of Representatives in 

14 Congress’’, approved June 28, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 

15 2a(a)), is amended by striking ‘‘the then exist16 ing number of Representatives’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘the number of Representatives established 

18 with respect to the One Hundred Eighteenth 

19 Congress’’. 

20 (B) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment 

21 made by subparagraph (A) shall apply with re22 spect to the regular decennial census conducted 

23 for 2020 and each subsequent regular decennial 

24 census. 

Æ 


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