I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2070 
To recognize the right of the People of Puerto Rico to call a status convention 
through which the people would exercise their natural right to self- 
determination, and to establish a mechanism for congressional consider-
ation of such decision, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 18, 2021 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. WATERS, Mr. SCOTT 
of Virginia, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. DAVID SCOTT 
of Georgia, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NEAL, Mr. 
MEEKS, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. 
GREEN of Texas, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. 
JAYAPAL, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. MENG, Mr. SIRES, Ms. ADAMS, 
Ms. ESHOO, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. BROWN, Ms. LEE of California, 
Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. BUSH, 
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CON-
NOLLY, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. 
BASS, Mr. MFUME, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. 
VEASEY, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. JONES, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mr. 
WELCH, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. SAN NICO-
LAS, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. 
WILD, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. VARGAS, 
Mr. THOMPSON of California, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CAR-
SON, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, 
Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. TITUS, Mr. CORREA, Mr. HIG-
GINS of New York, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, and Mr. NEGUSE) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
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A BILL 
To recognize the right of the People of Puerto Rico to 
call a status convention through which the people would 
exercise their natural right to self-determination, and 
to establish a mechanism for congressional consideration 
of such decision, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puerto Rico Self-De-
termination Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) In 1898, the United States defeated the 
Spanish Kingdom in the Spanish-American War and 
acquired by conquest Puerto Rico, Guam, and the 
Philippines pursuant to the Treaty of Paris. 
(2) In 1900, Congress established a civilian 
government on the island through the Foraker Act. 
Among other points, that Act established an ‘‘execu-
tive council’’ consisting of various department heads 
and a presidentially appointed civilian governor. 
(3) The Foraker Act also established the Resi-
dent Commissioner position to represent island in-
terests in Congress. These duties came to include 
nonvoting service in the House of Representatives. 
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(4) In 1901, the Supreme Court’s decisions in 
Downes v. Bidwell and its progeny held that for pur-
poses of the Constitution’s Uniformity Clause, Puer-
to Rico was not part of the United States and sub-
ject to the plenary powers of Congress, which in 
turn established a colonial relationship. Justice 
White, in concurrence, opined that Congress has dis-
cretion to decide whether and when to incorporate a 
territory into the United States. 
(5) Congress recognized Puerto Rico’s authority 
over matters of internal governance in 1950 with the 
passage of the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 
1950 (Public Law 81–600), providing for a constitu-
tional government for the island which was adopted 
by Congress as a compact for the people of Puerto 
Rico and the subsequent ratification of the island’s 
constitution in July 1952. 
(6) On November 18, 1953, the United Nations 
recognized Puerto Rico as a self-governing political 
entity under the United Nations General Assembly 
Resolution 748. 
(7) The political status of Puerto Rico is of sig-
nificant interest to communities both on and off the 
island, including diaspora groups that continue hav-
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ing strong cultural ties and socioeconomic ties to 
Puerto Rico. 
(8) The United States has a legal duty to com-
ply with Article 1 of the International Covenant on 
Civil and Political Rights, which establishes that all 
peoples have the right to self-determination and ‘‘by 
virtue of that right they freely determine their polit-
ical status and freely pursue their economic, social 
and cultural development’’. 
(9) The status convention provides a delibera-
tive, comprehensive, and uninterrupted space of dia-
logue that can define the future of Puerto Rico. 
SEC. 3. PUERTO RICO STATUS CONVENTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The legislature of Puerto Rico has 
the inherent authority to call a status convention through 
an Act or Concurrent Resolution, constituted by a number 
of delegates to be determined in accordance with legisla-
tion approved by the Government of Puerto Rico, for the 
purpose of proposing to the people of Puerto Rico self- 
determination options. A status convention called by the 
legislature of Puerto Rico shall— 
(1) be a semipermanent body that is dissolved 
only when the United States ratifies the self-deter-
mination option presented to Congress by the status 
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convention as selected by the people of Puerto Rico 
in the referendum under section 5; and 
(2) consist of delegates elected by the voters of 
Puerto Rico in an election conducted according to 
the enabling legislation for the status convention as 
approved by the legislature of Puerto Rico. 
(b) PUBLIC
FINANCING
OF
DELEGATE
ELEC-
TIONS.— 
(1) FUND ESTABLISHED.—There is hereby es-
tablished in the Treasury of the United States a 
fund to be known as the ‘‘Puerto Rico Status Con-
vention Public Matching Fund’’ which shall be ad-
ministered by the Puerto Rico State Commission on 
Elections and subject to oversight by the Federal 
Election Commission. To the extent amounts are 
made available in the fund for this purpose, the 
Puerto Rico State Commission on Elections shall 
distribute amounts in the fund such that $4 is dis-
tributed to each candidate for delegate for every $1 
that the candidate receives as a campaign contribu-
tion that is— 
(A) less than $100; and 
(B) donated by a resident of Puerto Rico. 
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(2) REQUIREMENTS FOR FUNDING.—To be eli-
gible to receive funds under this subsection, a can-
didate for delegate shall— 
(A) agree to increased financial oversight 
from the Federal Election Commission; 
(B) limit campaign spending to not more 
than $25,000; and 
(C) demonstrate a basic level of support 
from residents of Puerto Rico by receiving from 
residents of Puerto Rico not fewer than 50 do-
nations from 50 individuals of not more than 
$50. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE
AMOUNTS.— Not more 
than 10 percent of amounts made available under 
paragraph (4) may be use for administrative costs of 
the Federal Election Commission. 
(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated and deposited 
into the Puerto Rico Status Convention Public 
Matching Fund to carry out this section $5,500,000. 
(c) DELEGATES.—Delegates elected under subsection 
(a)(2), in consultation with the Commission, shall— 
(1) debate and draft definitions on self-deter-
mination options for Puerto Rico, which shall be 
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outside the Territorial Clause of the United States 
Constitution; 
(2) draft a least one accompanying transition 
plan for each self-determination option; and 
(3) select and present to the people of Puerto 
Rico the self-determination options that will be in-
cluded in the referendum under section 5. 
SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL BILATERAL NEGOTIATING COM-
MISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Con-
gressional Bilateral Negotiating Commission (hereinafter 
referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’) to provide advice and 
consultation to delegates elected under section 3(a)(2). 
(b) COMPOSITION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The members of the Com-
mission shall include— 
(A) the chairs of the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the Senate; 
(B) the ranking members of the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate; 
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