What Is Required for Puerto Rico Statehood?

[Emile]

Is there a possibility if we win back the house and senate?

[Boo1]

1. Constitutionally...

Nothing.

It isn't part of a state so it could be added by a joint congressional resolution and signed by the President.

[hlthe2b]

5. You left out several steps: 1. Congress must pass a law allowing for its admission AFTER

2. a referendum where a majority of Puerto Ricans express support for statehood. 3. The citizens of Puerto Rico would need to adopt a constitution that complies with U.S. standards (assuming there are any issues today). Only at that point can Congress vote to officially admit it as a state. (Both houses, but I will have to research whether that is a simple majority or 2/3).

[lastlib]

13. It's a simple majority.

Art. IV, Sec. 3 US Constitution does not stipulate a two-thirds vote, and historical practice has been to act on a simple majority.

[Boo1]

28. Also

Nothing in the constitution about needing the joining party to hold a referendum or their legislature to seek admittance. State legislatures are only involved if the territory were part of another state.

Anything in US law does't matter because it can also be changed by an act of Congress and Presidential signature.

[RubyRose]

2. I thought a couple years ago they voted for

independence not statehood.

[hlthe2b]

7. Puerto Rico has had several (non-binding) referenda:

the most notable ones occurring in 1967, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2024. In these votes, options included statehood, independence, and maintaining the current commonwealth status, with statehood receiving majority support in the most recent referendums, particularly in 2020 and 2024, although these results are non-binding and require Congressional approval to enact any changes.

[hlthe2b]

9. As recently as 2024, a nonbinding referendum passed FOR statehood

[Climate Crusader]

3. You're assuming that Puerto Rico wants to be a state.

It may not fly with them.

[hlthe2b]

6. A Puerto Rico citizen referendum passing is (along with initial Congressional steps) required

to even get the process moving.

[Greg_In_SF]

4. It's not

going to happen. Why the hell would Puerto Ricans want to suddenly start paying US federal income taxes?!

[lastlib]

11. They already do pay US income taxes.

When I worked at the IRS, I processed some PR tax returns.

[Greg_In_SF]

14. That's only

for people who earn income outside of Puerto Rico, members of the U.S. military, and federal government employees.

So, that "they" is a miniscule fraction of Puerto Ricans.

[Kid Berwyn]

18. That's about 6 million on the IRS rolls...

…the number of people living on the mainland, where they pay federal taxes and vote in federal, state and local elections.

About 3 million on the island do not have to pay federal income taxes, making the fraction about 2/3 of all Puerto Ricans who pay income taxes.

There are a lot of us remembered at the Tomb of the Unknown, too.

[Greg_In_SF]

20. You're confusing

customs taxes, federal commodity taxes, and payroll taxes with personal income taxes.

[Kid Berwyn]

21. I'm not confusing anything. There are about 9.2 million Puerto Rican citizens.

About 2/3 of us live on the US mainland, 1/3 on the island.

To make things really confusing: I was born on the island and my paternal ancestors fought in the US revolution for independence.

[Greg_In_SF]

23. We're not talking

about Puerto Ricans living on the mainland

[Kid Berwyn]

24. We were talking about statehood and who pays income taxes.

You indicated Puerto Ricans don't want to pay income taxes:

"Why the hell would Puerto Ricans want to suddenly start paying US federal income taxes?!"

I said there are 2/3 who already do.

Sorry if I misunderstood what you wrote.

[Greg_In_SF]

25. I was referring

to Puerto Ricans living on island and deriving their income solely in Puerto Rico.

[Kid Berwyn]

27. Thank you, now I understand.

My point holds for them, too. The majority there, IMO, would gladly pay income taxes in exchange for statehood.

[Melon]

31. Poverty rate twice that of Mississippi...

It’s not going to add anything on revenue to the US and needs massive investment in infrastructure. Many years have had multi month power outages.

[Kid Berwyn]

33. Yeah. The result of colonization.

Seemed to me, President Kennedy had other plans for the "Commonwealth."

[Torchlight]

12. For approximately the same reason

they pay roughly $5 billion/year in other general taxes would be my guess.

[tritsofme]

8. Puerto Rican statehood is a complex issue that is very polarizing on the island, its not just an opportunity to snatch

what is perceived as a quick political victory.

[hlthe2b]

10. Yes. While the most recent nonbinding (2024) referendum passed for statehood, I doubt it would NOW

[tritsofme]

16. 2024 was a peculiar referendum too, the status quo was not an option, and turnout was relatively low.

With some boycotts and organized ballot spoilage as I recall.

[iemanja]

15. Puerto Ricans need to want it

and views differ greatly there.

[OLDMDDEM]

17. Trump would never sign off on something like that.

[Greg_In_SF]

19. It wouldn't

be up to him.

[MichMan]

22. That's not what I am reading

The process for a territory to become a state is governed by the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the power to admit new members into the union.For Puerto Rico to achieve statehood, Congress would need to pass an admission act through the standard legislative process, which then requires the President’s signature.

https://legalclarity.org/why-cant-puerto-rico-become-a-state/

[viva la]

26. While we're at it, DC statehood too!

[Igel]

29. DC's a separate kind of issue.

Easiest way to give DCers the vote is to minimize the federal capital's footprint and retrocede the rest of the territory back to MD, as happened with the part south of the Potomac long ago.

[viva la]

30. But statehood is 2 senators

And one rep.

[Polybius]

32. That one's more complicated

I've read that the Capital can't be in a state, so they would have to take out a large area to set aside. And DC is small enough.