The House of Representatives approved the Puerto Rico Status Act on Thursday, a new bill that proposes to grant the Caribbean island’s residents a binding referendum on whether it becomes an American state, an independent nation or a sovereignty associated with the US.
Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898 and its 3.2 million residents are American citizens but are not entitled to vote in presidential elections, do not pay federal income tax on money earned on the island and are not eligible for some federal programs, a state of play that has long been contentious.
