congress

98th Congress

98th Congress

1983-1984

Only one bill was introduced in the 98th Congress. This bill, H.J. Res. 232 provided for the creation of a constituent assembly tasked with decolonizing Puerto Rico through independence or some form of alternative free association. The 98th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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98th Congress - H.J.Res.232

H.J.Res.232

See HJ.Res 232

117th Congress

117th Congress

2021-2022

Six plebiscitary bills were introduced during the 117th Congress. The first four bills introduced, namely H.R. 1522/S. 780, H.R. 2070/S. 865, excluded the “Commonwealth” as a status option or alternative for Puerto Rican voters. A fifth plebiscitary bill introduced in the Senate, S. 4560, included the Commonwealth option. A sixth bill, H.R. 8393, reconciled the first four bills and ultimately passed a House vote prior to the closing of the 117th Congress.

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117th Congress - H.R.1522

HR. 1522

See HR.1522

117th Congress - H.R.2070

HR. 2070

See HR.2070

117th Congress - H.R.8393

HR. 8393

See HR.8393

117th Congress - S.780

S. 780

See S.780

117th Congress - S.865

S. 865

See S.865

117th Congress - S.4560

S. 4560

See S.4560

99th Congress

99th Congress

1985-1986

Only one bill was introduced in the 99th Congress. The status bill, H.J. Res. 120, provided for the creation of a constituent assembly tasked with decolonizing Puerto Rico through independence or some form of alternative free association. The 99th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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99th Congress - H.J.Res.120

H.J.Res. 120

See HJ.Res 120

118th Congress

118th Congress

2023-present

As of the time of this writing, Congress has only introduced one plebiscitary bill during the 118th Congress. H.R. 2757 reproduced H.R. 8393 (117th Congress). No action has been taken on this bill and Representative Grijalva has suggested that he does not expect any resolution of Puerto Rico’s political status to take place during the 118th Congress or while the Republican Party control’s Congress.

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118th Congress - H.R.2757

HR. 2757

See HR.2757

S. 3231

See S.3231

79th Congress

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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79th Congress - S.227

S. 227

See S.227

79th Congress - S.1485

S. 1485

See S.1485

79th Congress - S.1002

S. 1002

See S.1002

79th Congress - H.R.2781

HR. 2781

See HR.2781

79th Congress - H.R.3237

HR. 3237

See HR.3237

100th Congress

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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100th Congress - S.1182

S.1182

See S.1182

100th Congress - HR.2849

HR.2849

See HR.2849

100th Congress - H.J.Res.218

H.J.Res.218

See HJ.Res 218

68th Congress

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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68th Congress - S.913

S.913

See S.913

68th Congress - H.R.3910

HR.3910

See HR.3910

101st Congress

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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101st Congress - S.710

S. 710

See S.710

101st Congress - S.711

S. 711

See S.711

101ST Congress - Bill S. 712

S. 712

See S.712

101st Congress - HR.3536

HR. 3536

See HR.3536

101st Congress - HR.4765

HR. 4765

See HR.4765