1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 SEC. 3. NONRESIDENT PUERTO RICANS. (a) The Congress finds that- (1) a substantial number of the Puerto Rican people reside outside of Puerto Rico; and (2) the Government of Puerto Rico has the authority to enable some Puerto Ricans who are United States citizens residing in places other than Puerto Rico to vote in the referendum. (b) The Congress hereby authorizes the Government of Puerto Rico, subject to the plan referred to in subsection (c), to enable Puerto Ricans not resident in Puerto Rico to register and vote in the referendum without being present in Puerto Rico. Such persons may include those born in Puerto Rico or those who have at least one parent who was born in 15 Puerto Rico. 12 13 14 16 17 (c) The Dialogue Committee is authorized to submit to the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico for its ratification a 18 plan agreed to by a majority of the members of such committee to accomplish the purposes authorized by subsection (b). Once so ratified, such plan shall have the force of law. 19 20 21 (d) In the event that any provision of this Act is held 22 invalid, or the Dialogue Committee does not submit a plan, or 23 the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico fails to ratify such 24 plan not later than 120 days before the referendum, it is the intent of Congress that the remaining provisions of this Act 25 5 1 2 3 4 shall continue in full force and effect. SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF LEGISLATION. (a) If the referendum results in a majority for one of the three status options, Members of the Committee on Energy 5 and Natural Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United 6 7 8 9 10 States House of Representatives, in full consultation with representatives of each of Puerto Rico's principal parties, the President of the United States, and other interested persons as may be appropriate, shall draft legislation to 11 implement the selected status addressing the aspects of that 12 status set forth in the report which accompanies the bill, H.R. 4765 (H. Rept. 101- _). In drafting the legislation 14 provided for in this section, the governing principles of each status option shall be treated equally, consistent with the constitutional authority of the United States Congress. 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 - (b) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the conduct of the consultations. SEC. 5. CONSIDERATION OF LEGISLATION. (a) Not later than March 6, 1992, the Chairman of the 22 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources shall introduce the legislation provided for in section 4(a) in the United States 23 24 Senate and the Chairman of the Committee on Interior and 25 Insular Affairs shall introduce such legislation in the 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 United States House of Representatives. (b) At any time after the close of the 180th-calendar day beginning after the date of introduction of such legislation, it shall be in order for any Member of the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate to move to discharge any committee of that House from further consideration of the legislation. A motion to discharge shall be highly privileged, and debate thereon shall be limited to not more than 2 hours, to be divided equally between those supporting and those opposing the motion. An amendment to the motion shall not be in order, and it shall not be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion was agreed to or disagreed to. (c) At any time after the close of the 14th legislative day beginning after the last committee has reported or been discharged from further consideration of such legislation, it shall be in order for any Member of the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate to move to proceed to the immediate consideration of the legislation 20 (such motion not being debatable), and such motion is hereby 21 made of high privilege. An amendment to the motion shall not 18 19 22 23 be in order, and it shall not be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion was agreed to or 24 disagreed to. 25 (d) Enactment of this section constitutes a commitment 1 7 that the United States Congress will vote on legislation 3 implement the political status selected by the people of 6 7 9 10 (a) If enacted, the legislation drafted pursuant to section 4(a) as approved by the Congress shall be submitted to the people of Puerto Rico for ratification according to the laws of Puerto Rico not later than 60 days after enactment. The legislation shall take effect in accordance 11 with its terms upon approval by the people of Puerto Rico in the ratification vote. 12 13 14 (b) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the conduct of the ratification 15 vote provided for by this section. 16 17 SEC. 7. RECOMMENDATIONS, IF NECESSARY. If the referendum provided for by section 2 does not 18 result in a majority for one of the three status options or 19 20 if the legislation drafted pursuant to this Act does not come into effect, Members of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on 22 Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, in full consultation with representatives of 21 23 24 each of the principal parties of Puerto Rico, the President of the United States, and other interested persons as may be 25 |