74th Congress

1935-1936

Four bills were introduced during the 74th Congress. Two were status legislation, but whereas H.R. 1394 provided for statehood, H.R. 12611 sought independence. One bill, H.R. 1393, was an Organic Act Amendment with a provision for statehood. The fourth bill, S. 4529, provided for a referendum on independence. The 74th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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114th Congress

2015-2016

Two bills were introduced and one law passed during the 114th Congress. One status bill, H.R. 727 included a statehood provision. The other, S. 3044, a plebiscitary bill included three status options: statehood, sovereignty, and Commonwealth or status quo. The PROMESA Law, a fiscal measure to manage Puerto Rico’s economy, contained a provision affirming the right of Puerto Ricans to determine its future political status including by conducting a plebiscite. The 114th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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88th Congress

1963-1964

Ten bills were introduced in the 88th Congress. Eight of these bills, H.R. 5945, H.R. 5946, H.R. 5947, H.R. 5948, H.R. 5991, H.R. 6047, H.R. 6076, and H.R. 6083 were plebiscitary bills linked to the creation of a status commission and included multiple status options. They were copies of the same bill but submitted by different lawmakers. One of the remaining bills, H.Res. 549 was a resolution bill. The tenth bill, became Pub. L. 88-271 and affirmed the Commonwealth status.

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101st Congress

1989-1990

Five bills were introduced in the 101st congress. All bills, namely S. 710, S. 711, S. 712, H.R. 3536 and H.R. 4765 were part of a plebiscitary process that took place between 1989 and 1991. Although this was the most substantive plebiscitary process in the history of the relationship between PR and the United States, the 101st Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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75th Congress

1937-1938

Two bills were introduced in the 75th Congress. One status bill, H.R. 1992, provided for the territorial incorporation of Puerto Rico. The other bill, H.R. 4885, was a referendum legislation which included a provision for independence. The 75th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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115th Congress

2017-2018

Three bills were introduced in the 115th Congress. Two status bills, H.R. 260 and H.R. 6246 advocated for statehood. A third bill, H.R. 900 provided for a referendum between two options: independence or Free Association. The 115th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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89th Congress

1965-1966

Seven status bills were introduced in the 89th Congress. All of the bills, namely H.R. 17917, H.R. 17920, H.R. 17944, H.R. 17971, H.R. 18009, H.R. 18096, and H.R. 18277 advocated for statehood. The 89th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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102nd Congress

1991-1992

Two bills were introduced in the 102nd Congress. Both bills, H.R. 316 and S. 244 provided for local plebiscites. The 102nd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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76th Congress

1939-1940

Six bills were introduced in the 76th Congress. Five of these bills, H.R. 147, H.R. 6986/S.2780, H.R.7117 and H.R. 9361, were single status bills. The sixth bill, H.R. 9361, was an organic act providing for a greater degree of home rule. The 76th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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116th Congress

2019-2020

Three status bills were introduced in the 116th Congress. Two bills, H.R. 1965 and H.R. 4901 advocated for statehood. The third bill, H.R. 8113 called for a self-determination process to identify a final status solution. The 116th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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