Puerto Rico Status Bill Passes House, but Set to Die in Senate

The House Thursday passed legislation that could pave the way for Puerto Rico to become the country’s 51st state.

The legislation (H.R. 8393), which the House passed 233-191, would provide for a binding vote among the island’s residents in 2023 to determine Puerto Rico’s non-territory status—either statehood, independence, or sovereignty in free association with the US. The island previously has voted in favor of statehood but the issue remains complicated. The bill would also provide for the transition in status of Puerto Rico, an island with roughly 3.5 million American citizens.

The Senate is unlikely to take up ...