79th Congress

1945-1946

Five bills were introduced in the 79th Congress. Three bills, S. 227, H.R. 2781 and S. 1485 were status bills providing for either independence or statehood for Puerto Rico. Alternative, two companion bills, S. 1002/H.R. 3237, provided for a plebiscite with multiple status options. It is important to highlight that the so-called Tydings-Piñero Bill (S. 1002/H.R. 3237) provided one of the more comprehensive status legislation of this history and offered viable alternatives to the status quo. The 79th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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100th Congress

1987-1988

Three bills were introduced in the 100th Congress. All three bills were status legislation, but two contained provisions for Statehood, namely S.1182 and H.R. 2849. The remaining status bill, H. J. Res 215, provided for the creation of a constituent assembly tasked with decolonizing Puerto Rico through independence or some form of alternative free association. The 100th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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68th Congress

1923-1925

Two organic act bills were introduced during the 68th Congress. S. 913 and H.R. 3910 were organic acts that treated Puerto Rico like an incorporated territory. Lawmakers during the 68th Congress did not enact any legislation changing Puerto Rico’s territorial status.

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80th Congress

1947-1948

Four bills were introduced in the 80th Congress. All of the bills included a provision for independence, S. 1158, H.R. 4404, H.R. 7111, and H.R. 7136. The 80th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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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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81st Congress

1949-1950

Six bills were introduced in the 81st Congress. Three of the bills were status legislation, of which two, S. 797, and H.R. 7746 included a provision for independence. The remaining status legislation, H.R. 9247, included a provision for statehood. Two bills, Pub. L. 81-600 and S. 3336 included referendum legislation with a provision for a Commonwealth status. The sixth bill, H.R. 7674 was a congressional enactment with a Commonwealth provision.

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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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56th Congress

1899-1900

Congress debated at least five bills explicitly addressing the territorial status of Puerto Rico during the 56th Congress. These bills focused on the creation of an organic or territorial law that could provide a civil government for Puerto Rico. Two bills introduced by Senator Joseph B. Foraker (R-OH), namely S. 2016 and S. 2264, which provided early versions of the subsequent Foraker Act of 1900. Three additional bills providing for alternative territorial statuses, H.R. 7020 (explicitly treating Puerto Rico as a territory), H.R. 5466 (treating Puerto Rico as a District), and H.R. 8878 (implicitly treating Puerto Rico as a territory), were also debated during this period. None of the bills offered an alternative political status to some variant of a territorial status.

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82nd Congress

1951-1952

Four bills were introduced in the 82nd Congress. Three of the bills, S.J. Res 151, H.J. Res 430, and Pub. L. 447, were referendum legislation giving electors a choice on whether to affirm a Puerto Rican Constitution. The remaining bill, H.R. 1937 provided for a local plebiscite with different status options.

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103rd Congress

1993-1994

Six bills were introduced in the 103rd congress. Three resolutions were introduced, namely H. Con Res. 94, S. Con. Res 75 and H. Con. Res 300. In addition, three bills H.R. 3715, H.R. 4442, and H.R 5005 provided for consultations on Puerto Rico’s political status. The 103rd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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