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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78th Congress

1943-1945

Four bills were introduced in the 78th Congress. All bills, S. 732, S. 952, H.R. 2989 and H.R. 3002 were status bills each providing for a variety of status options for Puerto Rico. The 78th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.

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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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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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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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