Dear Brenda,

Thank you for contacting me about statehood for the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

As you may know, H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, was introduced by Representative Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR) on May 19, 2009. On July 22, 2009, the House Committee on Natural Resources, on which I sit, approved the bill.

The Puerto Rico Democracy Act would direct the Puerto Rico State Election Commission to conduct a vote in Puerto Rico during the next session of Congress. This vote would give the voters of Puerto Rico the option to vote for continued U.S. territory status or for a path toward permanent non-territorial status. I am a cosponsor of this legislation.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future if I may be of any assistance. I also encourage you to visit my website, which may be found at http://flake.house.gov/.

Sincerely,
JEFF FLAKE Member of Congress