• Vote moves forward after being approved by a House committee Wednesday


• It will decide whether PR becomes a state, independent nation, or sovereignty


• It is unlikely to go anywhere as it must survive a House and Senate vote by Jan 3

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? HOW PUERTO RICO COULD BECOME A US STATE
-The Puerto Rico Status Act was passed through a House of Representatives committee, and is now going to a full House vote on Thursday.

-The bill needs to receive majority approval from the house, then it will be passed on to the Senate.

-The bill needs to receive 60 votes in the Senate to pass.

-If it passes the Senate, the bill needs the signature of President Biden.

-Once the president inked the bill, a vote would be organized in which the people of Puerto Rico would be polled on what they wanted: their island to join the U.S. as a state, whether they would become their own sovereign nation, or choose sovereignty with free association with the United States.

-The latter option would establish Puerto Rico as its own nation, but would accept social services and funding from the U.S. in return for the U.S. being able to establish military bases there and citizens to come and go freely.

-If the vote does not make it through the Senate by January 3, when a new House and Senate are sworn in, the process will have to start again,