The Hill News

On Wednesday, the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives approved its rules package for the 112th Congress. I opposed the package for several reasons, but above all because it sends a message of exclusion and indifference to my constituents, the nearly four million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico.

Under a rule adopted by the last three Democrat-controlled Congresses, the representatives from the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia were given a single, extremely-narrow privilege on the House floor. We were permitted to vote on amendments when the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole, a parliamentary device designed to allow greater participation by members in debate. Notably, the rule provided for an automatic revote to be held on the exceedingly rare occasion where our votes affected the outcome. The constitutionality of this rule was confirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in a 1994 decision. And the rule did not impede the work or impair the efficiency of this House in any way. 

Nevertheless, in a move that is difficult to describe as anything other than callous and petty, the Republican rules package deprives my fellow delegates and myself of this small but â€" to us and those we represent â€" meaningful privilege.  

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