(5) Also at the August 1, 2013 hearing, the 
Chairman recognized that ‘‘for Puerto Rico to meet 
its economic and social challenges and to achieve its 
full potential, this debate over status needs to be 
settled’’ and that ‘‘the current relationship under-
mines the United States’ moral standing in the 
world. For a nation founded on the principles of de-
mocracy and the consent of the governed, how much 
longer can America allow a condition to persist in 
which nearly four million U.S. citizens do not have 
a vote in the government that makes the national 
laws which affect their daily lives?’’ The Chairman 
acknowledged that, for Puerto Rico to have full self- 
government, it must become ‘‘a sovereign nation or 
achieve equality among the States of the Union’’. 
(6) The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget 
requested $2.5 million for the first Federally spon-
sored plebiscite in Puerto Rico’s history, to be held 
on options that would ‘‘resolve Puerto Rico’s future 
political status’’ and that are found by the Depart-
ment of Justice not to be ‘‘incompatible with the 
Constitution and laws and policies of the United 
States’’. This proposal was enacted in January 2014 
as part of Public Law 113–76. 
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(7) Alaska and Hawaii are the most recent ter-
ritories to become States of the Union. Public Law 
85–508 (July 7, 1958), ‘‘an act to provide for the 
admission of the State of Alaska into the Union’’, 
and Public Law 86–3 (March 18, 1959), ‘‘an act to 
provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into 
the Union’’, were enacted after a majority of voters 
in each territory expressed a desire for statehood in 
plebiscites organized under local law. These Acts of 
Congress provided that admission would occur if a 
majority of voters affirmed in a Federally sponsored 
plebiscite that the territory should ‘‘be admitted into 
the Union as a State’’. The Federally sponsored 
plebiscite in the territory of Alaska was held on Au-
gust 26, 1958, and Alaska was admitted into the 
Union on January 3, 1959. The Federally sponsored 
plebiscite in the territory of Hawaii was held on 
June 27, 1959, and Hawaii was admitted into the 
Union on August 21, 1959. 
SEC. 3. VOTE ON ADMISSION. 
(a) VOTE.—The State Elections Commission of Puer-
to Rico is authorized to provide for a vote on the admis-
sion of Puerto Rico into the Union as a State within one 
year of the date of enactment of this Act, in accordance 
with rules and regulations determined by the Commission, 
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including qualifications for voter eligibility. The ballot 
shall ask the following question: ‘‘Shall Puerto Rico be ad-
mitted as a State of the United States? Yesll Noll’’. 
(b) FUNDS FOR VOTE.—The funds made available 
pursuant to Public Law 113–76 may be used to conduct 
the vote. 
SEC. 4. CERTIFICATION AND TRANSMITTAL OF RESULTS. 
Not later than 10 days after the certification of the 
vote by the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico, 
the Governor of Puerto Rico shall transmit the certified 
results to the President of the United States, the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro 
Tempore of the Senate. 
SEC. 5. TRANSITION PROCESS. 
If a majority of the votes cast in the vote conducted 
pursuant to section 3 are for Puerto Rico’s admission into 
the Union as a State— 
(a) PROCLAMATION.—Within 30 calendar days of re-
ceipt of the certified results transmitted pursuant to sec-
tion 4, the President shall issue a proclamation to begin 
the transition process that will culminate in Puerto Rico’s 
admission into the Union as a State effective January 1, 
2021. 
(b) COMMISSION.—Within 90 calendar days of re-
ceipt of the certified results transmitted pursuant to sec-
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tion 4, the President shall appoint a Commission on the 
Equal Application of Federal Law to Puerto Rico. 
(1) PURPOSE.—The Commission shall survey 
the laws of the United States and make rec-
ommendations to Congress as to how laws that do 
not apply to the territory or apply differently to the 
territory than to the several States should be amend-
ed or repealed to treat Puerto Rico equally with the 
several States as of the date of the admission of 
Puerto Rico into the Union as a State. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Commission shall con-
sist of five persons, at least two of whom shall be 
residents of Puerto Rico. 
(3) REPORT.—The Commission shall issue a 
final report to the President of the United States, 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 
the President Pro Tempore of the Senate by July 1, 
2018. 
(4) TERMINATION.—Upon issuing the final re-
port under paragraph (3), the Commission shall ter-
minate. 
(5) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), 
other than section 14, shall apply to the Commis-
sion. 
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SEC. 6. RULES FOR ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICES. 
(a) PREPARATION FOR ELECTIONS.—Not later than 
January 1, 2020, Puerto Rico shall carry out such actions 
as may be necessary to enable Puerto Rico to hold elec-
tions for Federal office in November 2020 in accordance 
with this section. 
(b) PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.—With respect to the 
election for the office of President and Vice President held 
in November 2020— 
(1) Puerto Rico shall be considered a State for 
purposes of chapter 21 of title 3, United States 
Code; 
(2) the electors of Puerto Rico shall be consid-
ered electors of a State for purposes of such chapter; 
and 
(3) for purposes of section 3 of such title, the 
number of electors from Puerto Rico shall be equal 
to the number of Senators and Representatives to 
which Puerto Rico is entitled during the One Hun-
dred Seventeenth Congress, as determined in accord-
ance with subsections (c) and (d). 
(c) ELECTION OF SENATORS.— 
(1) ELECTION OF 2 SENATORS.—The regularly 
scheduled general elections for Federal office held in 
Puerto Rico during November 2020 shall include the 
election of 2 Senators, each of whom shall first take 
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office on the first day of the One Hundred Seven-
teenth Congress. 
(2) SPECIAL RULE.—In the election of Senators 
from Puerto Rico pursuant to paragraph (1), the 2 
Senate offices shall be separately identified and des-
ignated, and no person may be a candidate for both 
offices. No such identification or designation of ei-
ther of the offices shall refer to or be taken to refer 
to the terms of such offices, or in any way impair 
the privilege of the Senate to determine the class to 
which each of the Senators elected shall be assigned. 
(d) ELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the first day of 
the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, and until 
the taking effect of the first reapportionment occur-
ring after the regular decennial census conducted for 
2020, Puerto Rico shall be entitled to the number of 
Representatives to which it would have been entitled 
for the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress if Puerto 
Rico had been a State during such Congress, as 
shown in the statement transmitted by the President 
to Congress under paragraph (2). 
(2) DETERMINATION OF INITIAL NUMBER.— 
(A) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 
July 1, 2019, the President shall submit to 
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Congress a statement of the number of Rep-
resentatives to which Puerto Rico would have 
been entitled for the One Hundred Sixteenth 
Congress if Puerto Rico had been a State dur-
ing such Congress, in the same manner as pro-
vided under section 22(a) of the Act entitled 
‘‘An Act to provide for the fifteenth and subse-
quent decennial censuses and to provide for ap-
portionment of Representatives in Congress’’, 
approved June 28, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 2a(a)). 
(B) SUBMISSION OF NUMBER BY CLERK.— 
Not later than 15 calendar days after receiving 
the statement of the President under subpara-
graph (A), the Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives, in accordance with section 22(b) of 
such Act (2 U.S.C. 2a(b)), shall transmit to the 
Governor of Puerto Rico and the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives a certificate of the 
number of Representatives to which Puerto 
Rico is entitled during the period described in 
paragraph (1). 
(3) TERMINATION
OF
OFFICE
OF
RESIDENT 
COMMISSIONER.—Effective on the date on which a 
Representative from Puerto Rico first takes office in 
accordance with this subsection, the Office of the 
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Resident Commissioner to the United States, as de-
scribed in section 36 of the Act of March 2, 1917 
(48 U.S.C. 891 et seq.), is terminated. 
(e) ADMINISTRATION
OF PRIMARY ELECTIONS.— 
Puerto Rico may hold primary elections for the offices de-
scribed in this section at such time and in such manner 
as Puerto Rico may provide, so long as such elections are 
held in the manner required by the laws applicable to elec-
tions for Federal office. 
SEC. 7. ISSUANCE OF PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION. 
Following the transition process set forth in section 
5, the President shall issue a proclamation declaring that 
Puerto Rico is admitted into the Union on an equal foot-
ing with the other States, effective January 1, 2021. Upon 
issuance of the proclamation by the President, Puerto Rico 
shall be deemed admitted into the Union as a State. 
SEC. 8. STATE OF PUERTO RICO. 
Upon the admission of Puerto Rico into the Union 
as a State— 
(a) STATE CONSTITUTION.—The Constitution of the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be accepted as the 
Constitution of the State. 
(b) TERRITORY.—The State shall consist of all of the 
territory, together with the waters included in the seaward 
boundary, of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
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(c) CONTINUITY
OF GOVERNMENT.—The persons 
holding legislative, executive, and judicial offices of the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall continue to discharge 
the duties of their respective offices. 
(d) CONTINUITY OF LAWS.— 
(1) TERRITORY LAW.—All of the territory laws 
in force in Puerto Rico shall continue in force and 
effect in the State, except as modified by this Act, 
and shall be subject to repeal or amendment by the 
Legislature and the Governor of Puerto Rico. 
(2) FEDERAL
LAW.—All of the laws of the 
United States shall have the same force and effect 
as on the date immediately prior to the date of ad-
mission of Puerto Rico into the Union as a State, 
except for any provision of law that treats Puerto 
Rico and its residents differently than the States of 
the Union and their residents, which shall be amend-
ed as of the date of admission to treat the State of 
Puerto Rico and its residents equally with the other 
States of the Union and their residents. 
SEC. 9. EFFECT ON MEMBERSHIP OF HOUSE OF REP-
RESENTATIVES. 
(a) TEMPORARY INCREASE DURING INITIAL PE-
RIOD.— 
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(1) TEMPORARY INCREASE.—During the period 
described in paragraph (1) of section 6(d)— 
(A) the membership of the House of Rep-
resentatives shall be increased by the number of 
Members to which Puerto Rico is entitled dur-
ing such period; and 
(B) each such Representative shall be in 
addition to the membership of the House of 
Representatives as now prescribed by law. 
(2) NO
EFFECT
ON
EXISTING
APPORTION-
MENT.—The temporary increase in the membership 
of the House of Representatives provided under 
paragraph (1) shall not, during the period described 
in paragraph (1) of section 6(d)— 
(A) operate to either increase or decrease 
the permanent membership of the House of 
Representatives as prescribed in the Act of Au-
gust 8, 1911 (2 U.S.C. 2); or 
(B) affect the basis of reapportionment es-
tablished by the Act of June 28, 1929, as 
amended (2 U.S.C. 2a), for the Eighty Second 
Congress and each Congress thereafter. 
(b) PERMANENT INCREASE EFFECTIVE WITH NEXT 
REAPPORTIONMENT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Effective with respect to the 
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress and each suc-
ceeding Congress, the House of Representatives shall 
be composed of a number of Members equal to the 
sum of 435 plus the number by which the member-
ship of the House was increased under subsection 
(a). 
(2) REAPPORTIONMENT OF MEMBERS RESULT-
ING FROM INCREASE.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Section 22(a) of the 
Act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for the fifteenth 
and subsequent decennial censuses and to pro-
vide for apportionment of Representatives in 
Congress’’, approved June 28, 1929 (2 U.S.C. 
2a(a)), is amended by striking ‘‘the then exist-
ing number of Representatives’’ and inserting 
‘‘the number of Representatives established 
with respect to the One Hundred Eighteenth 
Congress’’. 
(B) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—The amendment 
made by subparagraph (A) shall apply with re-
spect to the regular decennial census conducted 
for 2020 and each subsequent regular decennial 
census. 
Æ 
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