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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has been under | ||||||
| 3 | United States jurisdiction since 1898; it is the property of, | ||||||
| 4 | but not part of, the United States, and laws passed by Congress | ||||||
| 5 | apply on the island without the consent nor participation of | ||||||
| 6 | the residents thereof; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, The principle of self-determination is a | ||||||
| 8 | cornerstone of international law, enshrined in the Charter of | ||||||
| 9 | the United Nations, which guarantees all peoples the right to | ||||||
| 10 | freely determine their political status and freely pursue | ||||||
| 11 | their economic, social, and cultural development; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, The people of Puerto Rico have, through various | ||||||
| 13 | referendums and public expressions, demonstrated a clear | ||||||
| 14 | desire to address and resolve the island's political status; | ||||||
| 15 | and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, The Puerto Rico Status Act has been introduced in | ||||||
| 17 | the United States Congress, raising concerns among many Puerto | ||||||
| 18 | Ricans and their allies regarding its approach to resolving | ||||||
| 19 | the island's future political status; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, The Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act proposes a | ||||||
| 21 | process for Puerto Ricans to exercise their right to | ||||||
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| 1 | self-determination in a democratic and inclusive manner, | ||||||
| 2 | offering a platform for Puerto Ricans to decide their future | ||||||
| 3 | through a convention of elected representatives; therefore, be | ||||||
| 4 | it | ||||||
| 5 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 6 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 7 | we express our support for the right of the people of Puerto | ||||||
| 8 | Rico to pursue self-determination; and be it further | ||||||
| 9 | RESOLVED, That we oppose the Puerto Rico Status Act due to | ||||||
| 10 | concerns over its inadequacy in facilitating a fair and | ||||||
| 11 | democratic process for Puerto Ricans to determine their future | ||||||
| 12 | given the lack of critical information over status | ||||||
| 13 | definitions, the controlling language of government | ||||||
| 14 | operations, transitions, taxes, Puerto Rico's separate Olympic | ||||||
| 15 | representation, citizenship, and other key matters; and be it | ||||||
| 16 | further | ||||||
| 17 | RESOLVED, That we endorse the Puerto Rico | ||||||
| 18 | Self-Determination Act as a constructive approach towards | ||||||
| 19 | enabling the people of Puerto Rico to explore and decide upon | ||||||
| 20 | their future political status through a democratic and | ||||||
| 21 | participatory process; and be it further | ||||||
| 22 | RESOLVED, That we encourage our federal representatives to | ||||||
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| 1 | support legislation and initiatives that align with the | ||||||
| 2 | principles of self-determination and democracy for Puerto | ||||||
| 3 | Rico; and be it further | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 5 | delivered to all members of the Illinois Congressional | ||||||
| 6 | Delegation as an expression of our sentiments regarding the | ||||||
| 7 | future status of Puerto Rico. | ||||||