{
  "id": "R42765",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R42765",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 421948,
      "date": "2013-06-25",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-06T21:04:59.933707",
      "title": "Puerto Rico\u2019s Political Status and the 2012 Plebiscite: Background and Key Questions",
      "summary": "For the first time since 1998, voters in Puerto Rico went to the polls in November 2012 to reconsider the island\u2019s relationship with the federal government (a concept known as \u201cpolitical status\u201d). Voters were asked to answer two questions: (1) whether they wished to maintain Puerto Rico\u2019s current political status; and (2) regardless of the choice in the first question, whether they preferred statehood, independence, or to be a \u201csovereign free associated state.\u201d According to results certified by the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission, approximately 54.0% of those who cast ballots answered \u201cno\u201d to the first question. In the second question, approximately 61.2% of voters chose statehood. The island\u2019s new governor and territorial legislature contend that the results were \u201cinconclusive.\u201d \nThe plebiscite results are potentially significant if they are interpreted to mark the electorate\u2019s desire to change the island\u2019s present political status. The significance of the plebiscite remains to be seen, however, particularly because in the same election in which voters arguably endorsed a change in the status quo and favored statehood, they also voted out the pro-statehood incumbent governor and former Resident Commissioner, Luis Fortu\u00f1o, as well as majorities in the territorial legislature believed to be generally supportive of statehood. No change in Puerto Rico\u2019s political status could occur without congressional action.\nEvents in 2013 suggest that Congress and policymakers in San Juan are considering how to assess the plebiscite and considering next steps. In Washington, on May 15, 2013, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi introduced H.R. 2000, a bill that proposes a second plebiscite in which voters could answer \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d to a single question asking whether they desire statehood for Puerto Rico. The President\u2019s FY2014 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies budget request includes $2.5 million for voter education for such a \u201cfederally sanctioned\u201d plebiscite. In San Juan, the new governor, Alejandro Garc\u00eda Padilla, and a May 14, 2013, concurrent resolution approved by the territorial legislature, contend that the November 2012 plebiscite results were \u201cinconclusive\u201d because a large number of voters chose not to answer the second status question. The governor and the concurrent resolution appear to suggest that if Puerto Rico\u2019s political status is to be reconsidered, various options should be available for discussion, including what some contend is an option called \u201cenhanced commonwealth,\u201d a position previously rejected by federal task forces spanning different presidential administrations. \nThis report will be updated periodically as events warrant.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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}