Comite de Recursos Naturales del Congreso aprueba proyecto 2499

R@S Washington - Con votacion de 30 votos a favor y 8 votos en contra, el proyecto de la camara 2499 fue aprobado en el Comite de Recursos Naturales del Congreso. Ademas, la mayoría de los miembros desechó (24-13) una enmienda que hubiese exigido el inglés como idioma oficial de un Puerto Rico estado 51. Previamente, los miembros de la comisión rehusaron, a viva voz, otra enmienda que hubiese requerido una supermayoría a favor de un cambio en las relaciones entre Washington y Puerto Rico antes de que el Congreso pudiera considerar el segundo referéndum que propone el proyecto 2499. La Comisión de Recursos Naturales, sin embargo, le dio visto bueno a enmiendas que exigen que las papeletas electorales de las consultas sean impresas en inglés y que el costo de todo el proceso sea financiado por el Gobierno Estatal. ============================================================================== Bill to decide Puerto Rico's status moves forward AP WASHINGTON - A U.S. congressional committee approved a proposal Wednesday that would let Puerto Ricans decide their island's political status. It was unclear whether the full Congress would consider the bill. The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee approved the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009, which was submitted by the island's resident commissioner, Pedro Pierluisi. Voters would choose between keeping the island's commonwealth status, adopted in 1952, or to opt for something different. In the latter case, a second plebiscite would let them decide whether they wanted statehood, independence or independence with a loose association to the United States. Two of the island's main parties oppose the proposal, and a similar bill that the committee approved in October 2007 has since died. Wednesday's debate marked the 68th time that the House had debated a bill related to Puerto Rico's status. Puerto Ricans voted to maintain the island's current status and rejected statehood in nonbinding referendums in 1967, 1993 and 1998. Residents of the U.S. Caribbean commonwealth are barred from voting in presidential elections, and their Congressional delegate cannot vote.