US lawmakers urge binding vote on Puerto Rico status

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A group of mostly Democratic congress members is proposing a binding plebiscite to decide whether Puerto Rico should become a state or gain some sort of independence. The draft proposal unveiled at an online news conference Thursday would commit Congress to accepting Puerto Rico into the United States if voters on the island approve it. But even if the plan were to pass the Democratic-led House, the proposal appears to have little chance in the Senate, where Republicans have long opposed statehood. Voters also could choose outright independence or independence with free association, whose terms would be defined following negotiations.