1. Short title This legislation may be cited as the Puerto Rico Admission Act . 2. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) The territory of Puerto Rico has a population of more than 3.4 million, and United States citizenship has been granted to individuals born in the islands for one hundred years. (2) The territory has an insular government that, subject to Federal law, exercises authority similar to that possessed by the governments of the several States. (3) The United States citizens of Puerto Rico are not treated equally in Federal law with citizens in the States and do not have representation in their national government other than that provided by a sole resident commissioner who can only vote in committees of the House of Representatives to which she or he is assigned. (4) An overwhelming majority of the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico want to replace territory status with a permanent form of government that provides for equality and for democratic representation in the making of their national laws. (5) It has been the longstanding policy of the United States that the American citizens of the territory can determine whether it should eventually become a State or a nation. (6) In a plebiscite held in Puerto Rico under local law, a majority of the vote rejected continuation of the current territory status, with more than 61.1 percent petitioning the Congress and the President for statehood and a transition to equality and permanence within the Union of States. (7) Public Law 113–76 responded to the plebiscite under territorial law by providing for a plebiscite under Federal law on an option or options proposed by the Elections Commission of Puerto Rico that can resolve the question of the territory’s status and are found by the Department of Justice to not conflict with the Constitution, laws, and policies of the United States. (8) The Governor, two-thirds majorities of each house of the Legislative Assembly, and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico elected in November 2016 were