Washington, DC—Today, the full Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approved the Fiscal Year 2014 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act, which includes President Obama’s request for an appropriation of $2.5 million to be made to the Puerto Rico Elections Commission to conduct the first federally-funded status vote in the territory’s history, with the express purpose of “resolving” the issue, announced Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi. 

The Committee report accompanying the bill contains additional details.  Specifically, it states that the federal funding shall not be provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to the Puerto Rico Elections Commission until 45 days after the Department notifies the relevant committees in Congress that the Department has approved the Elections Commission’s plan for voter education and administration of the vote, including approval of the ballot itself.  The Department must certify to Congress that the ballot and voter education materials are compatible with “the Constitution and laws and policies of the United States.”

“We continue to make important advances in our fight to ensure that Puerto Rico will have a democratic and dignified status that provides our people with genuine equality under the law.  Today’s action demonstrates that the referendum we held on November 6th is resonating in Washington and that our efforts are producing results.  The Committee’s report expressly states that federal funding for the vote will not be provided until the federal government confirms that the ballot and voter education materials comply with U.S. law and policy.  That means that the Popular Democratic Party’s impossible status proposal, sometimes called ‘Enhanced Commonwealth,’ cannot be included on the ballot.  This proposal no longer has any relevance to the status debate,” said Pierluisi. 

“Moreover, it is critical to note that the vote to be held pursuant to this appropriation must be among one or more status options that would ‘resolve’ the status issue.  As I have noted previously, the only permanent status options available to Puerto Rico are statehood and nationhood.  Maintaining the current territory status will do nothing to resolve the status problem—which has hamstrung Puerto Rico’s political, economic and social development—but will merely prolong this problem,” added the Resident Commissioner.

Pierluisi again thanked the Chairman of the CJS Subcommittee, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), and the senior Democratic member on the Subcommittee, Congressman  Chaka Fattah (D-PA).  In addition, the Resident Commissioner extended his gratitude to the Chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY), and the Committee’s senior Democratic member, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), for their support.

Pierluisi also thanked Congressman José Serrano (D-NY), a member of the CJS Subcommittee, for his unceasing efforts in support of this appropriation.  Both Pierluisi and Serrano, like a majority of voters in Puerto Rico who participated in the November referendum, believe that the current territory status deprives U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico of the most fundamental democratic rights and has no place in the 21st century. 

Moreover, the report accompanying the CJS bill also includes language, requested by the Resident Commissioner, expressing the Committee’s continued concerns about “the high levels of violent crime linked to narcotics trafficking in Puerto Rico” and directing the Attorney General, within 120 days of the bill’s enactment into law, to describe the level of DOJ law enforcement personnel and resources in Puerto Rico and how they complement other federal law enforcement agency efforts, particularly those of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Largely as a result of Pierluisi’s efforts over multiple years, DHS recently announced that it is surging additional personnel and resources to Puerto Rico and enhancing operations to prevent drugs and weapons from flowing to Puerto Rico, all with the express goal of reducing the island’s high homicide rate.  In numerous meetings, letters and congressional hearings, Pierluisi has called on DOJ to supplement what DHS is doing with its own surge.

 “We continue to make real progress in the effort to ensure that all federal law enforcement agencies give this problem the attention it deserves.  I will not rest until the people of Puerto Rico can feel safe in their homes, streets and communities,” said Pierluisi.

The next step in the legislative process is for the CJS bill to be voted on by the full House.