IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1113 
To state the need for action on statehood for Puerto Rico if the status 
wins a majority of the vote on the question in the territory’s plebiscite 
on November 3. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 
Mr. SOTO (for himself, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, Mr. HAS-
TINGS, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. CRIST, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. 
FITZPATRICK, Mr. YOUNG, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Ms. SHALALA, Mrs. MUR-
PHY of Florida, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. FRANKEL, Mr. LAWSON 
of Florida, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and Ms. 
CASTOR of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
RESOLUTION 
To state the need for action on statehood for Puerto Rico 
if the status wins a majority of the vote on the question 
in the territory’s plebiscite on November 3. 
Whereas the United States acquired Puerto Rico through the 
Spanish-American War intending to keep the islands, but 
the Supreme Court divined that the territory had become 
a possession of the United States, meaning that it can 
become either a State or a sovereign nation and it can 
be treated differently than parts of the United States; 
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•HRES 1113 IH 
Whereas, in 1917, United States citizenship was granted to 
individuals born in Puerto Rico to permanently bind the 
territory to the Nation; 
Whereas territory status prevents the 3.1 million Americans 
of the islands from having votes in the Government that 
makes their laws (other than the vote in committee of a 
resident commissioner), a democratic deficit, which all of 
the territory’s leaders reject; 
Whereas Puerto Rico is a State for the purposes of most— 
but not all—Federal laws, but the territory and our fel-
low Americans there are, overall, treated worse than the 
States and their residents; 
Whereas it has been the longstanding policy of the United 
States that a vote among our citizens in the territory will 
determine whether it will ultimately become a State or a 
nation; 
Whereas Puerto Rico’s last two status plebiscites, which were 
limited to but included all of the territory’s possible fu-
ture statuses, rejected the current status and chose state-
hood but the number of votes caused some people to 
question whether they accurately reflected the electorate; 
Whereas the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Eco-
nomic Stability Act (Public Law 114–187) recognizes the 
territory’s ‘‘right to determine its future political status’’ 
through the plebiscite provided for by Public Law 113– 
76 or otherwise; 
Whereas the elected government of Puerto Rico has enacted 
a law to have a plebiscite on statehood on November 3, 
2020; 
Whereas the vote would resolve any question as to the will 
of the territory because opponents of equality within the 
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•HRES 1113 IH 
Nation for any reason—including, but not limited to, 
support of the current status or a desire for nation-
hood—could vote ‘‘No’’; 
Whereas we recognize the Department of Justice has issued 
an opinion and express our opposition to it on grounds 
that the plebiscite language is a simple, clear question 
and allows voters to vote for the status of their choice 
through the yes-or-no framework; 
Whereas those who favor Puerto Rico’s status as a territory 
or sovereign nation can vote ‘‘No’’ on the ballot in No-
vember; and 
Whereas Congress has the ultimate authority to admit new 
States regardless of any Department of Justice opinion 
in accordance with article IV, section 3, clause 1 of the 
Constitution: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) declares that the Congress and the Presi-
dent will have a duty to act in 2021 on the self-de-
termination choice of the people of Puerto Rico if 
the plebiscite chooses statehood; 
(2) recognizes that implementation legislation 
will need to include measures to phase-in the equal 
treatment of the territory and its residents in Fed-
eral laws; and 
(3) states that such measures should implement 
equality for Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans as expe-
ditiously as reasonably possible. 
Æ 
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