found at Article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the United
States Constitution, a judicial interpretation of Puer-
to Rico’s status which is in accordance with the clear
intent of Congress that establishment of local constitu-
tional government in 1952 did not alter Puerto Rico’s
status as an unincorporated United States territory.
(8) In a joint letter dated January 17, 1989, co-
signed by the Governor of Puerto Rico in his capacity
as president of one of Puerto Rico’s principal politi-
cal parties and the presidents of the two other prin-
cipal political parties of Puerto Rico, the United
States was formally advised that ‘‘. . . the People of
Puerto Rico wish to be consulted as to their preference
with regards to their ultimate political status’’, and
the joint letter stated ‘‘. . . that since Puerto Rico
came under the sovereignty of the United States of
America through the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the
People of Puerto Rico have not been formally con-
sulted by the United States of America as to their
choice of their ultimate political status’’.
(9) In the 1989 State of the Union Message,
President George Bush urged the Congress to take the
necessary steps to authorize a federally recognized
process allowing the people of Puerto Rico, for the
first time since the Treaty of Paris entered into force,
to freely express their wishes regarding their future
political status in a congressionally recognized ref-
erendum, a step in the process of self-determination
which the Congress has yet to authorize.
(10) In November of 1993, the Government of
Puerto Rico conducted a plebiscite initiated under
local law on Puerto Rico’s political status. In that
vote none of the three status propositions received a
majority of the votes cast. The results of that vote
were: 48.6 percent commonwealth, 46.3 percent state-
hood, and 4.4 percent independence.
(11) In 1994, President William Jefferson Clin-
ton established the Executive Branch Interagency
Working Group on Puerto Rico to coordinate the re-
view, development, and implementation of executive
branch policy concerning issues affecting Puerto Rico,
including the November 1993 plebiscite.
(12) There have been inconsistent and conflicting
interpretations of the 1993 plebiscite results, and
under the Territorial Clause of the Constitution, Con-
gress has the authority and responsibility to deter-
mine Federal policy and clarify status issues in order
to advance the self-determination process in Puerto
Rico.
(13) On December 14, 1994, the Puerto Rico
Legislature enacted Concurrent Resolution 62, which
requested the 104th Congress to respond to the results
of the 1993 Puerto Rico Status Plebiscite and to indi-
cate the next steps in resolving Puerto Rico’s political
status.
(14) Nearly 4,000,000 United States citizens live
in the islands of Puerto Rico, which have been under
United States sovereignty and within the United
States customs territory for almost 100 years, making
Puerto Rico the oldest, largest, and most populous
United States island territory at the southeastern-
most boundary of our Nation, located astride the stra-
tegic shipping lanes of the Atlantic Ocean and Carib-
bean Sea.
(15) Full self-government for Puerto Rico is at-
tainable only through establishment of a political sta-
tus which is based on either separate Puerto Rican
sovereignty and nationality or full and equal United
States nationality and citizenship through member-
ship in the Union and under which Puerto Rico is
no longer an unincorporated territory subject to the
plenary authority of Congress arising from the Terri-
torial Clause.
SEC. 3. POLICY.
In recognition of the significant level of local self-gov-
ernment which has been attained by Puerto Rico, and the
responsibility of the Federal Government to enable the peo-
ple of the territory to freely express their wishes regarding
political status and achieve full self-government, this Act
is adopted with a commitment to encourage the development
and implementation of procedures through which the per-
manent political status of the people of Puerto Rico can
be determined.
SEC. 4. PROCESS FOR PUERTO RICAN FULL SELF-GOVERN-
MENT, INCLUDING THE INITIAL DECISION
STAGE, TRANSITION STAGE, AND IMPLEMEN-
TATION STAGE.
(a) INITIAL DECISION STAGE.—A referendum on
Puerto Rico’s political status shall be held not later than
December 31, 1998. The referendum shall be held pursuant
to this Act and in accordance with the applicable provisions
of Puerto Rico’s electoral law and other relevant statutes
consistent with this Act. Approval of a status option must
be by a majority of the valid votes cast. The referendum
shall be on the following questions presented on the ballot
as options A and B in a side-by-side format in Parts I
and II:
‘‘PART I
‘‘Instructions: Mark the option you choose. Ballots
with both options marked in Part I will not be counted.
‘‘A. Puerto Rico should continue the present Common-
wealth structure for self-government with respect to internal
affairs and administration, subject to the provisions of the
Constitution and laws of the United States which apply to
Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico remains a locally self-governing
unincorporated territory of the United States, and continu-
ation or modification of current Federal law and policy to
Puerto Rico remains within the discretion of Congress. The
ultimate status of Puerto Rico will be determined through
a process authorized by Congress which includes self-deter-
mination by the people of Puerto Rico in periodic referenda.
If you agree, mark here 
.
‘‘B. Puerto Rico should complete the process leading
to full self-government through separate Puerto Rican sov-
ereignty or United States sovereignty as defined in Part
II of this ballot. Full self-government will be achieved in
accordance with a transition plan approved by the Congress
and the people of Puerto Rico in a later vote. A third vote
will take place at the end of the transition period in which
the people of Puerto Rico will be able to approve final im-
plementation of full self-government. This will establish a
permanent political status under the constitutional system
chosen by the people. If you agree, mark here: 
‘‘PART II
‘‘Instructions: Mark the option you choose. Ballots
with both options marked in Part II will not be counted.
‘‘If full self-government is approved by the majority
of voters, which path leading to full self-government for
Puerto Rico do you prefer to be developed through a transi-
tion plan enacted by the Congress and approved by the peo-
ple of Puerto Rico?
‘‘A. Puerto Rico should become fully self-governing
through separate sovereignty leading to independence or free
association as defined below. If you agree, mark here: 
‘‘The path of separate Puerto Rican sovereignty lead-
ing to independence or free association is one in which—
‘‘(1) Puerto Rico is a sovereign nation with full
authority and responsibility for its internal and ex-
ternal affairs and has the capacity to exercise in its
own name and right the powers of government with
respect to its territory and population;
‘‘(2) a negotiated treaty of friendship and co-
operation, or an international bilateral pact of free
association terminable at will by either Puerto Rico
or the United States, defines future relations between
Puerto Rico and the United States, providing for co-