April 29, 2010, 9:01 PM

By BERNIE BECKER
The House passed legislation today that would allow voters in Puerto Rico to weigh in on the territory’s relationship with the United States.

The measure, which passed 223-169, caused some divisions among Hispanic lawmakers — supporters cast it as merely designed to give Puerto Ricans a voice in their future, while opponents said that it was aimed at forcing statehood on residents who don’t necessarily want it.

Currently, Puerto Rico – which came under American control in 1898 following the Spanish-American War – is a commonwealth, with its roughly 4 million residents United States citizens and eligible to serve in the military. Puerto Ricans also have a non-voting delegate to Congress, do not vote in the general election for president and do not pay federal income taxes on wages earned in Puerto Rico.

The bill approved by the House would set up a two-step process: First up, a vote to decide whether Puerto Rico should stay a commonwealth. If most voters want something else, a second ballot would offer a choice among independence, statehood, the status of being sovereign but still associated with the United States, or remaining a commonwealth after all.

The ability to choose the commonwealth option in the second vote was tacked on to the measure on Thursday.

It remains to be seen whether the bill will be any sort of priority in the Senate. And, even if a vote in favor of statehood were to occur, Congress would have to approve admitting Puerto Rico as a state.

Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico’s delegate in the House and a supporter of the measure, said on the House floor on Thursday that it was unfair to call the legislation a statehood bill – though he does support Puerto Rico becoming a state.

The intent of the measure “is to sponsor a fair process of self-determination for Puerto Rico,” he said. “Not to pre-determine the outcome of that process.”

Puerto Ricans have voted against statehood in past referendums and plebiscites, most recently in 1998. But Mr. Pierluisi and other supporters of the measure – including Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico’s governor — said this was different because it would be the first time Puerto Ricans would get to weigh in on their political status in a congressionally authorized vote.

Democrats Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Nydia Velazquez of New York, meanwhile, made clear on the House floor that they believed the measure was in fact intended to lead to statehood for Puerto Rico. “The deck is stacked,” Mr. Gutierrez said.

After the vote, Ms. Velazquez said in a statement that adding the commonwealth option as a choice on the second ballot “restored some fairness to a badly flawed process.”

“However, I still believe that the best way for the people of Puerto Rico to determine status is through a constitutional convention,” she added.

Representatives Eric Cantor and Mike Pence — the No. 2 and 3 Republicans in the House, respectively — were among the 39 members of their party to vote for the measure.

Republicans who opposed the bill –- including Representatives Doc Hastings of Washington and Jason Chaffetz of Utah –- indicated they were worried about language issues (Spanish and English are both official languages in Puerto Rico) and the fact that people born in Puerto Rico but living in the United States would be eligible to vote in the plebiscite.

According to the Associated Press, the House narrowly rejected a proposed Republican addition to the bill that would have mandated that a Puerto Rican state have English as the official language and respect Second Amendment rights.

There is only two choices Statehood or Independence................Commonwealth Has no dignity

Just to clarify, Puerto Ricans do not pay Federal taxes on wages earned on the island but they do pay Federal payroll taxes for Medicare & Social Security. Commonwealth or an unincorporated territory, as Puerto Rico's offical staus, is basically a colony. Any place where you can fight and die in a war but cannot vote for the President who declares that war is inherently contridictory and an injustice. Indeed, many Puerto Ricans have paid the ulimate price, the blood tax. In the end, I think the majority of Puerto Ricans will conclude they are better off voting for statehood, a conclusion I disagree with, and will come to this decision with the thought that they will some how be better off finacially. It is my hope that I am wrong. Pa'Lante!

Are you a Boricua or a Dominican .....this is important .....Jealousy or self interest

Boriqua soy.

Medina Commonwealth was the choice of the financial self interested .....There is no dignity in that It is Independence or Statehood ....With Statehood comes large political power for the whole Hispanic community

Medina you should have said you were Dominican first, as apparently this changes the tenor of your opinion

Manny you are very observant and wise The very thought of having to ask a Puerto Rican Congressman or Senator for a favor is truly disturbing to a Dominican

It also brings asimilation and conformity. As one conservative radio personality says, Language, Culture and Borders, and as Puerto Ricans, we need to protect and hold those 3 things sacred. Statehood sounds great to many in the present times and in this economic climate, however in 20 years, when a generation has passed, and we look at Puerto Ricans, who don't speak Spanish, who don't know our history, don't know what a pastele is, or who what an aguinaldo is or a paranda, that will be a sad day. Our flag will have been replaced and the Puerto Rican flag will just be another state flag, in a line of many others. I don't feel this is being considered by many of the statehooders or they just don't care.

I sincerely beleive that Puerto Rico will be a state in my lifetime. There's no impetus in any other direction, really. The support for commonwealth has decreased with each succesive plebescite and independance barely garnishes a few measly percentage points of the total vote. What that will mean to Puerto Rican culture reamins to be seen but one has to take into consideration that America is changing drastically. A Puerto Rican state might help change the US more than vice versa in the climate we're living in now. All we can do is speculate for now. But statehood is coming down the pipe.