Senate Bill sb1360

    Florida Senate - 2003        (Corrected Copy)          SM 1360

    By Senator Klein





    30-1249A-03

  1                     Senate Memorial No. ____

  2         A memorial to the Congress of the United

  3         States, urging Congress to grant without

  4         further delay Puerto Rico's pending petition

  5         for a federally sanctioned plebiscite to

  6         establish and define the political status and

  7         electoral rights of United States citizens of

  8         Puerto Rico.

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10         WHEREAS, on December 10, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was

11  signed by the United States, and on February 6, 1899, was

12  ratified by the United States, formally concluding the

13  Spanish-American War and establishing Puerto Rico as a

14  territory of the United States, and

15         WHEREAS, on March 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson

16  signed the Puerto Rican Federal Relations Act, otherwise known

17  as the Jones Act, extending United States citizenship to

18  citizens of Puerto Rico, but not authorizing them to qualify

19  as candidates for office in the United States Senate or in the

20  United States House of Representatives, or for the office of

21  President of the United States, and not authorizing them to

22  vote for any such candidate, and

23         WHEREAS, since 1917, 200,000 people who are citizens of

24  Puerto Rico have served valiantly as members of the United

25  States Armed Services in every war and conflict in which the

26  United States has been engaged in defense of democratic

27  principles and the freedom of individuals to exercise their

28  fundamental rights of self-determination, and

29         WHEREAS, four heroic Puerto Ricans, Hector

30  Santiago-Colon, Euripides Rubio, Carlos James Lozada, and Luis

31  Fernando Garcia, have been awarded the Congressional Medal of

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    Florida Senate - 2003        (Corrected Copy)          SM 1360
    30-1249A-03




  1  Honor for their valor in defending American ideals and

  2  freedoms, and

  3         WHEREAS, the 3.8 million citizens of Puerto Rico have

  4  made many invaluable social, economic, and public service

  5  contributions to preserve, protect, and advance American

  6  ideals and freedoms, and

  7         WHEREAS, a significant number of the citizens of the

  8  State of Florida originate from Puerto Rico and other Latin

  9  American countries, and many such citizens serve as our

10  state's business, education, cultural, and public service

11  leaders, and

12         WHEREAS, Florida's great history, including its

13  ascension to statehood, is closely intertwined with a heritage

14  derived from the many invaluable contributions made by Puerto

15  Ricans and others of Latin American descent, and

16         WHEREAS, in 1997, the Legislature of Puerto Rico

17  submitted a formal petition to the Congress of the United

18  States asking that Congress respond to the many democratic

19  aspirations of citizens of Puerto Rico by authorizing a

20  federally sanctioned plebiscite to be held no later than 1998,

21  but Congress has not yet acted on the petition, and

22         WHEREAS, it is long overdue that citizens of Puerto

23  Rico be endowed with the political and electoral rights and

24  privileges that are commonly exercised by other United States

25  citizens, allowing them to qualify, seek nomination, and run

26  as candidates for office in the United States Senate and the

27  United States House of Representatives, and for the office of

28  the President of the United States, to vote in the elections

29  that are conducted to nominate and elect those who qualify to

30  run as candidates to hold such offices, and to exercise the

31  right of self-determination through establishment of

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    Florida Senate - 2003        (Corrected Copy)          SM 1360
    30-1249A-03




  1  self-governance through a representative form of democratic

  2  government, and

  3         WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature urges all citizens of

  4  Florida and of all the other states and territories of the

  5  United States to support enactment of a federal law providing

  6  opportunity for Puerto Rico to become a self-governing state,

  7  NOW, THEREFORE,

  8

  9  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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11         That the Congress of the United States is urged to act

12  without further delay on Puerto Rico's pending petition by

13  promptly enacting legislation establishing and defining the

14  political status and electoral rights of citizens of Puerto

15  Rico, and authorizing a plebiscite to provide an opportunity

16  for such citizens to make an informed decision on the future

17  political status of Puerto Rico.

18         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be

19  presented to the President of the United States, to the

20  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the

21  United States House of Representatives, to each member of the

22  Florida delegation to the United States Congress, and to the

23  Governor of Puerto Rico.

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