A referendum held Nov. 6 was just another piece of Puerto Rico's statehood puzzle. The White Housemade its opinion known, followed by Puerto Rico's governor, who called for a special legislative session to consider the next move forward. Even with the vote of the people, Puerto Rico's statehood is far from certain. Congress has the final authority to admit the island territory as a state.
* The Associated Press reports Gov. Luis Fortuno claimed Saturday that Puerto Ricans made their feelings clear with November's general election with 61 percent backing statehood. The pro-statehood official said he would call a special legislative session to implore Congress and President Barack Obama to lay the foundations for eventual admission to the union.
* One difficulty facing Fortuno and the legislature is that the governor was defeated in the election.Alejandro Garcia Padilla was chosen as his successor. Padilla's Popular Democratic Party prefers keeping the island as a semi-autonomous protectorate.
* Pedro Pierluisi serves as the territory's resident commissioner and is the sole representative in Congress from Puerto Rico. Pierluisi has advocated for statehood for years. That stance puts him in opposition to the governor-elect. As a caucusing Democrat in the House, Pierluisi also faces resistance from Republicans who control the chamber. The official is a member of the New Progressive Party, according to the Associated Press. Pierluisi was re-elected to another term in November.
* The news of a legislative session for statehood comes as a former leader of a militant group was returned to Puerto Rico to finish serving a prison sentence. The Associated Press reveals 70-year-old Avelino Gonzalez Claudio was flown to the island to finish serving a jail sentence which expires Feb. 5.
* Gonzalez led Los Macheteros, a terrorist group that killed in the name of Puerto Rican independence in the 1970s and 1980s. Fox News Latino reports federal prosecutors were against Gonzalez' release last April . The man's return to the island was met by a few dozen supporters as Los Macheteros' membership has waned over the past 20 years.
* White House Press Secretary Jay Carney gave the Obama administration's thoughts on statehood. He told a press briefing Dec. 3 that "Congress should now study the results closely and provide the people of Puerto Rico with a clear path forward … ."
* According to ABC News, Carney didn't make it clear whether or not statehood was the path forward. Pierliusi said his constituents were "not pleased" by the White House's statement because statehood wasn't specifically mentioned. ABC News revealed a day after Carney's briefing that the administration feels referendum's "results were clear" in terms of Puerto Rico's wish for statehood.
* The island territory needs the approval of Congress to become the 51st state. The U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 3, says "New states may be admitted by the Congress into this union... ." Congress sets forth the criteria Puerto Rico needs to follow before becoming a state.
* The U.S. Government Accountability Office seeks a research study to be done on the possible effects of statehood for Puerto Rico. The paper is designed to look at the costs to federal government programs should the island's 4 million inhabitants become part of the union.
* The last time a state was admitted was in 1959 when both Alaska and Hawaii joined the union. The 53-year span has been in the longest in history without a new state added to the United States.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.