Congressional Legislation
1899 to Present
The Congressional Legislation is a repository of all bills addressing the status of Puerto Rico debated in Congress since 1899 or the 56th Congress. Presently, this archive contains 153+ bills and laws that explicitly or implicitly raise the question of Puerto Rico’s political status within the U.S. Empire. These laws were identified by going through the indexes of each Congressional Record since the 56th Congress. Because this project is a work-in-progress, our intention is to build it in phases. The next phase will incorporate the legislative histories of each bill as well as other educational resources. Related documents are also housed in this archive.
56th Congress (1899-1900)
Congress debated at least five bills during the 56th Congress. S. 2016, S. 2264, H.R.7020, H.R.5466 and H.R.8878
See 56th Bills57th Congress (1901-1902)
Only one status bill, H. J. Res. 5 was introduced during the 57th Congress. The 57th Congress did not enact any legislation providing for a change in Puerto Rico’s political status.
See 57th Bills63rd Congress (1913-1914)
Only one bill, S.5845, was introduced in the Senate during the 63rd Congress. This organic act treated Puerto Rico as a territory for purposes of the legislation.
See 63rd Bills64th Congress (1915-1916)
Only one bill, S.26, was introduced in the Senate during the 64th Congress. This organic act also treated Puerto Rico as a territory for purposes of the legislation.
See 64th Bills66th Congress (1919-1920)
One resolution, namely H.J.Res. 144, was introduced in the House during the 66th Congress.
See 66th Bills67th Congress (1921-1922)
Three bills status bills were introduced during the 67th Congress. H.R.9934, H.R.9995 and S.3137.
See 67th Bills68th Congress (1923-1925)
Two organic act bills were introduced during the 68th Congress. S.913 and H.R.3910. Lawmakers during the 68th Congress did not enact any legislation changing Puerto Rico’s territorial status.
See 68th Bills70th Congress (1927-1929)
Only one bill was introduced in the 70th Congress. H.R.9847. The 70th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 70th Bills73rd Congress (1933-1934)
Only one bill was introduced during the 73rd Congress. H.R. 9831. The 73rd congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 73rd Bills74th Congress (1935-1936)
Four bills were introduced during the 74th Congress. H.R.1394, H.R.12611, H.R.1393 and S.4529. The 74th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 74th Bills75th Congress (1937-1938)
Two bills were introduced in the 75th Congress. H.R. 1992 and H.R. 4885. The 75th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 75th Bills76th Congress (1939-1940)
Six bills were introduced in the 76th Congress. H.R. 147, H.R. 6986/S.2780, H.R.7117, H.R. 9361 and H.R. 9361,
See 76th Bills77th Congress (1941-1942)
Only one status bill was introduced in the 77th Congress, H.R. 7352. The 77th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 77th Bills78th Congress (1943-1945)
Four bills were introduced in the 78th Congress. S. 732, S. 952, H.R. 2989 and H.R. 3002. The 78th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 78th Bills79th Congress (1945-1946)
Five bills were introduced in the 79th Congress. S. 227, H.R. 2781, S. 1485, S. 1002/H.R. 3237 and S. 1002/H.R. 3237. The 79th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 79th Bills80th Congress (1947-1948)
Four bills were introduced in the 80th Congress. 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.
See 80th Bills81st Congress (1949-1950)
Six bills were introduced in the 81st Congress. S.787, H.R.7746, H.R.9247, Pub.L.81-600, S.3336 and H.R.7674.
See 81st Bills82nd Congress (1951-1952)
Four bills were introduced in the 82nd Congress. S.J.Res 151, H.J.Res 430, and Pub.L.447 and H.R.1937.
See 82nd Bills83rd Congress (1953-1954)
Only one bill was introduced in the 83rd Congress. The bill, H.Res 455 provided for a referendum on independence. The 83rd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 83rd Bills86th Congress (1959-1960)
Eight bills were introduced during the 86th Congress. H.R.1968, H.R.7003, H.R.5926, S.2023, H.R.9234, S.2708, S.2396 and H.R. 10266. The 86th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 86th Bills88th Congress (1963-1964)
Ten bills were introduced in the 88th Congress. H.R.5945, H.R.5946, H.R.5947, H.R.5948, H.R.5991, H.R.6047, H.R.6076, H.R.6083, H.Res.549 and Pub.L.88-271.
See 88th Bills89th Congress (1965-1966)
Seven status bills were introduced in the 89th Congress. H.R.17917, H.R.17920, H.R.17944, H.R.17971, H.R.18009, H.R.18096, and H.R.18277. The 89th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 89th Bills90th Congress (1967-1968)
Only one bill was introduced in the 90th Congress. H.R.9691. The 90th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 90th Bills91st Congress (1969-1970)
Two bills were introduced in the 91st Congress. H.R.4999 and H.R.2699. The 91st Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 91st Bills94th Congress (1975-1976)
Four bills were introduced in the 94th Congress. H.R.11200, H.R.11201, S.J.Res 215 and H.J.Res 1010. The 94th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 94th Bills95th Congress (1977-1978)
Three status bills were introduced in the 95th Congress. H.J.Res 54, H.J. Res 367 and H.R.2201. The 95th Congress did not enact any legislation changing Puerto Rico’s political status.
See 95th Bills96th Congress (1979-1980)
Three bills were introduced in the 96th Congress. S.Con.Res. 35, H. Con. Res. 165 and H.J.Res.592. The 96th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 96th Bills97th Congress (1981-1982)
Two status bills were introduced in the 97th Congress. H.J. Res 215 and H. Res 585. The 97th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 97th Bills98th Congress (1983-1984)
Only one bill was introduced in the 98th Congress. This bill, H.J. Res. 232. The 98th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 98th Bills99th Congress (1985-1986)
Only one bill was introduced in the 99th Congress. H.J.Res. 120. The 99th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 99th Bills100th Congress (1987-1988)
Three bills were introduced in the 100th Congress. S.1182, H.R.2849 and H. J. Res 215. The 100th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 100th Bills101st Congress (1989-1990)
Five bills were introduced in the 101st congress. S.710, S.711, S.712, H.R.3536 and H.R.4765. The 101st Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 101st Bills102nd Congress (1991-1992)
Two bills were introduced in the 102nd Congress. H.R.316 and S.244. The 102nd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 102nd Bills103rd Congress (1993-1994)
Six bills were introduced in the 103rd congress. H.Con.Res. 94, S.Con.Res 75, H.Con.Res 300, H.R.31715, H.R.4442, and H.R5005. The 103rd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 103rd Bills104th Congress (1995-1996)
Five bills were introduced in the 104th Congress. H.Con.Res.11, H.R.3024, S.2019, H.R.4228 and H.R.4281. The 104th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 104th Bills105th Congress (1997-1998)
Three bills were introduced during the 105th Congress. S.472, H.R.856 and S.Res.279. The 105th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 105th Bills106th Congress (1999-2000)
One status bill was introduced in the 106th Congress. H.R.4751. The 106th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 106th Bills109th Congress (2005-2006)
Four plebiscitary bills were introduced during the 109th Congress. H.R.4963, S.2304, S.2661 and H.R.4867. The 109th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 109th Bills110th Congress (2007-2008)
Three bills were introduced in the 110th Congress. H.R.900, S.1936 and H.R.1230. The 110th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 110th Bills111th Congress (2009-2010)
Only one bill was introduced during the 111th Congress. H.R.2499. The 111th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 111th Bills113th Congress (2013-2014)
Three bills were introduced in the 113th Congress. H.R.2000, S.2020 and Pub. L. 113-76(H.R. 3547). The 113th Congress did not enact any legislation that changed Puerto Rico’s political status.
See 113th Bills114th Congress (2015-2016)
Two bills were introduced and one law passed during the 114th Congress. H.R.727 and S.3044. The 114th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 114th Bills115th Congress (2017-2018)
Three bills were introduced in the 115th Congress. H.R.260, H.R.6246 and H.R.900. The 115th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 115th Bills116th Congress (2019-2020)
Three status bills were introduced in the 116th Congress. H.R.1965, H.R.4901 and H.R.8113. The 116th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See 116th Bills117th Congress (2021-2022)
Six plebiscitary bills were introduced during the 117th Congress. H.R.1522, S.780, H.R.2070, S.865, S.4560 and H.R. 8393.
See 117th Bills118th 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.
See 118th Bills77th Congress (1941-1942)
Only one status bill was introduced in the 77th Congress, H.R. 7352. The 77th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills80th Congress (1947-1948)
Four bills were introduced in the 80th Congress. 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.
See Bills83rd Congress (1953-1954)
Only one bill was introduced in the 83rd Congress. The bill, H.Res 455 provided for a referendum on independence. The 83rd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills89th Congress (1965-1966)
Seven status bills were introduced in the 89th Congress. H.R.17917, H.R.17920, H.R.17944, H.R.17971, H.R.18009, H.R.18096, and H.R.18277.The 89th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills94th Congress (1975-1976)
Four bills were introduced in the 94th Congress. H.R.11200, H.R.11201, S.J.Res 215 and H.J.Res 1010. The 94th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills97th Congress (1981-1982)
Two status bills were introduced in the 97th Congress. H.J. Res 215 and H. Res 585. The 97th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills100th Congress (1987-1988)
Three bills were introduced in the 100th Congress. S.1182, H.R.2849 and H. J. Res 215. The 100th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills103rd Congress (1993-1994)
Six bills were introduced in the 103rd congress. H.Con.Res. 94, S.Con.Res 75, H.Con.Res 300, H.R.31715, H.R.4442, and H.R5005. The 103rd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills106th Congress (1999-2000)
One status bill was introduced in the 106th Congress. H.R.4751. The 106th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills111th Congress (2009-2010)
Only one bill was introduced during the 111th Congress. H.R.2499. The 111th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills115th Congress (2017-2018)
Three bills were introduced in the 115th Congress. H.R.260, H.R.6246 and H.R.900. The 115th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills118th 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.
See Bills78th Congress (1943-1945)
Four bills were introduced in the 78th Congress. S. 732, S. 952, H.R. 2989 and H.R. 3002. The 78th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills81st Congress (1949-1950)
Six bills were introduced in the 81st Congress. S.787, H.R.7746, H.R.9247, Pub.L.81-600, S.3336 and H.R.7674.
See Bills86th Congress (1959-1960)
Eight bills were introduced during the 86th Congress. H.R.1968, H.R.7003, H.R.5926, S.2023, H.R.9234, S.2708, S.2396 and H.R. 10266. The 86th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills90th Congress (1967-1968)
Only one bill was introduced in the 90th Congress. H.R.9691. The 90th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills95th Congress (1977-1978)
Three status bills were introduced in the 95th Congress. H.J.Res 54, H.J. Res 367 and H.R.2201. The 95th Congress did not enact any legislation changing Puerto Rico’s political status.
See Bills98th Congress (1983-1984)
Only one bill was introduced in the 98th Congress. This bill, H.J. Res. 232. The 98th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills101st Congress (1989-1990)
Five bills were introduced in the 101st congress. S.710, S.711, S.712, H.R.3536 and H.R.4765. The 101 st Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills104th Congress (1995-1996)
Five bills were introduced in the 104th Congress. H.Con.Res.11, H.R.3024, S.2019, H.R.4228 and H.R.4281. The 104th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills109th Congress (2005-2006)
Four plebiscitary bills were introduced during the 109th Congress. H.R.4963, S.2304, S.2661 and H.R.4867. The 109th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills113th Congress (2013-2014)
Three bills were introduced in the 113th Congress. H.R.2000, S.2020 and Pub. L. 113-76(H.R. 3547). The 113th Congress did not enact any legislation that changed Puerto Rico’s political status.
See Bills116th Congress (2019-2020)
Three status bills were introduced in the 116th Congress. H.R.1965, H.R.4901 and H.R.8113. The 116th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills79th Congress (1945-1946)
Five bills were introduced in the 79th Congress. S. 227, H.R. 2781, S. 1485, S. 1002/H.R. 3237 and S. 1002/H.R. 3237. The 79th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills82nd Congress (1951-1952)
Four bills were introduced in the 82nd Congress. S.J.Res 151, H.J.Res 430, and Pub.L.447 and H.R.1937.
See Bills88th Congress (1963-1964)
Ten bills were introduced in the 88th Congress. H.R.5945, H.R.5946, H.R.5947, H.R.5948, H.R.5991, H.R.6047, H.R.6076, H.R.6083, H.Res.549 and Pub.L.88-271.
See Bills91st Congress (1969-1970)
Two bills were introduced in the 91st Congress. H.R.4999 and H.R.2699. The 91st Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills96th Congress (1979-1980)
Three bills were introduced in the 96th Congress. S.Con.Res. 35, H. Con. Res. 165 and H.J.Res.592. The 96th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills99th Congress (1985-1986)
Only one bill was introduced in the 99th Congress. H.J.Res. 120. The 99th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills102nd Congress (1991-1992)
Two bills were introduced in the 102nd Congress. H.R.316 and S.244. The 102nd Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills105th Congress (1997-1998)
Three bills were introduced during the 105th Congress. S.472, H.R.856 and S.Res.279. The 105th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills110th Congress (2007-2008)
Three bills were introduced in the 110th Congress. H.R.900, S.1936 and H.R.1230. The 110th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills114th Congress (2015-2016)
Two bills were introduced and one law passed during the 114th Congress. H.R.727 and S.3044. The 114th Congress did not enact any status changing legislation for Puerto Rico.
See Bills117th Congress (2021-2022)
Six plebiscitary bills were introduced during the 117th Congress. H.R.1522, S.780, H.R.2070, S.865, S.4560 and H.R. 8393.
See Bills