| 1 | 1 | | 85S12373 KSM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Isaac H.R. No. 221 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, In the plebiscite conducted in June 2017, Puerto |
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| 7 | 7 | | Ricans voted overwhelmingly in favor of statehood for the U.S. |
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| 8 | 8 | | territory; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The United States acquired Puerto Rico in 1898, |
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| 10 | 10 | | following the Spanish-American War, and the Jones Act of 1917 |
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| 11 | 11 | | conferred U.S. citizenship on all Puerto Ricans; in 1952, Puerto |
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| 12 | 12 | | Rico ratified a constitution, subsequently approved by the U.S. |
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| 13 | 13 | | Congress, which states, "We consider as determining factors in our |
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| 14 | 14 | | life our citizenship of the United States of America and our |
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| 15 | 15 | | aspiration continually to enrich our democratic heritage in the |
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| 16 | 16 | | individual and collective enjoyment of its rights and privileges; |
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| 17 | 17 | | our loyalty to the principles of the Federal Constitution . . ."; |
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| 18 | 18 | | and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Over the past century, Puerto Ricans have fought for |
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| 20 | 20 | | America in every war, and the territory is extremely well |
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| 21 | 21 | | represented in our armed forces today; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, In the June plebiscite, over 97 percent of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | voters endorsed statehood; while some of the 2.2 million registered |
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| 24 | 24 | | voters joined an organized boycott, turnout still reached |
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| 25 | 25 | | approximately 25 percent, an impressive rate for a single-issue, |
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| 26 | 26 | | nonbinding referendum; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Puerto Rican voters have expressed tremendous |
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| 28 | 28 | | support for statehood, and the U.S. Congress should respect the |
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| 29 | 29 | | clear results of the democratic process; now, therefore, be it |
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| 30 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 31 | 31 | | Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby urge the United States |
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| 32 | 32 | | Congress to support statehood for Puerto Rico; and, be it further |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of |
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| 34 | 34 | | this resolution to the president of the United States, to the |
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| 35 | 35 | | president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 36 | 36 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 37 | 37 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 38 | 38 | | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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| 39 | 39 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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