Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's at-large congressional district
	Jenniffer Gonzalez[lower-alpha 1]; R–San Juan
Area	3,515 sq mi (9,100 km2)
Population (2019)	3,193,694
Median household; income	14,412
Ethnicity	80.5% Hispanic; 8.5% Black; 6.8% White; 3.6% other; 0.4% Native American; 0.2% Asian;
Occupation	67.9% White-collar; 20.5% Blue-collar; 11.6% Gray-collar;

Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
	Incumbent; Jenniffer González; since January 3, 2017
	United States House of Representatives
Seat	Puerto Rico
Term length	Four years, renewable[1]
Formation	January 2, 1900
First holder	Federico Degetau
Website	gonzalez-colon.house.gov

The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Comisionado Residente de Puerto Rico) is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years,[1] the only member of the House of Representatives who serves a four-year term.

Commissioners function in every respect as a member of Congress, including sponsoring legislation and serving on congressional committees, where they can vote on legislation,[2] except that they are denied a vote on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor.[3] They receive a salary of $174,000 per year[4] and are identified as Member of Congress.[2]

The current commissioner is Jenniffer González-Colón of the New Progressive Party (PNP), the first woman to hold the post.[1] She is also affiliated with the Republican Party (R) at the national level.

Other U.S. territories have a similar representative position called a delegate.

History

The United States Congress had seated non-voting "delegates" from various territories since 1794 as the country expanded across North America; these territories were all eventually admitted as states. The position of delegate was a legislative position with a two-year term, just like a member of Congress.[5]

The United States acquired several overseas possessions as a result of the Spanish–American War. While the House of Representatives voted in 1900 for Puerto Rico to select a delegate, Congress instead devised a new form of territorial representative in the Resident Commissioner. United States Senator John Coit Spooner argued that granting a territory a delegate implied that it was on the path to statehood, which he asserted was not guaranteed for the new possessions acquired in the war, such as Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[5] In fact, more than a century later, neither has become a state. (Puerto Rico remains a U.S. territory, while The Philippines became an independent republic in 1946.)

The original Resident Commissioner positions served a two-year term,[6] though it was later extended to four years starting in 1920.[7][5][8] The position also had executive responsibility in addition to legislative ones. The term had been used as to parts of the British Empire (see Resident Commissioner), but in an almost opposite sense; sent or recognized as the Crown's representative to manage a territory. American Resident Commissioner always refers to a representative of a territory to the national government.[5]

This representation has evolved over time. At first, the resident commissioner could not even be present on the floor of the House of Representatives; floor privileges were granted in 1902.[5] In 1904, the officeholder gained the right to speak during debate and serve on the Committee on Insular Affairs, which had responsibility for the territories gained in the Spanish-American War.[5]

In 1933, Resident Commissioner Santiago Iglesias was appointed to additional committees, and each of his successors has served on other committees also.[5] But only in 1970 did the Resident Commissioner gain the right to vote in committees, gain seniority, or hold leadership positions.[5]

The present-day Resident Commissioner, like the delegates from other territories and the District of Columbia, have almost all of the rights of other House members, including being able to sponsor bills and offer amendments and motions.[5] Territorial representatives remain unable to vote on matters before the full House.

Summary of commissioners

1901–1905: Federico Degetau
1905–1911: Tulio Larrínaga
1911–1916: Luis Muñoz Rivera
1916–1917: vacant
1917–1932: Félix Córdova Dávila
1932–1932: vacant
1932–1933: José Lorenzo Pesquera
1933–1939: Santiago Iglesias
1939–1939: vacant
1939–1945: Bolívar Pagán
1945–1946: Jesús T. Piñero
1946–1946: vacant
1946–1965: Antonio Fernós-Isern
1965–1969: Santiago Polanco Abreu
1969–1973: Jorge Luis Córdova
1973–1977: Jaime Benítez Rexach
1977–1985: Baltasar Corrada del Río
1985–1992: Jaime Fuster
1992–1993: Antonio Colorado
1993–2001: Carlos Romero Barceló
2001–2005: Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
2005–2009: Luis Fortuño
2009–2017: Pedro Pierluisi
2017–Present: Jenniffer González

Puerto Rico's at-large congressional district

Puerto Rico is represented by a non-voting resident commissioner in the United States House of Representatives. The current resident commissioner is Jenniffer González.

List of resident commissioners pre-Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Resident Commissioner	Local Party	National Party	Dates	Electoral history
District created: March 4, 1901
Federico Degetau y González	Republican	Republican	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1905	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Tulio Larrínaga	Union Party	[data unknown/missing]	March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Luis Muñoz Rivera	Union Party	[data unknown/missing]	March 4, 1911 – November 15, 1916	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant			November 16, 1916 – August 6, 1917	Special election July 16, 1917
Félix L. M. Córdova Dávila	Union Party	[data unknown/missing]	August 7, 1917 – April 11, 1932	Appointed Puerto Rico Supreme Court justice
Vacant			April 12, 1932 – April 14, 1932	[data unknown/missing]
José Lorenzo Pesquera	Independent	[data unknown/missing]	April 15, 1932 – March 3, 1933	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Santiago Iglesias Pantín	Socialist	[data unknown/missing]	March 4, 1933 – December 5, 1939	[data unknown/missing] Died.
Vacant			December 5, 1939 – December 26, 1939	[data unknown/missing]
Bolívar Pagán	Republican Union	[data unknown/missing]	December 26, 1939 – January 3, 1945	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Jesús T. Piñero Jiménez	Popular Democratic	Democratic	January 3, 1945 – September 2, 1946	[data unknown/missing] Resigned to become Governor of Puerto Rico.

Resident commissioners under the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

US Party Affiliation

Democratic Party (10)
Republican Party (2)

№	Resident Commissioner			Years	Electoral history
1	Antonio Fernós-Isern	Popular Democratic	Democratic	September 11, 1946 – January 3, 1965	Appointed to finish Piñero's term. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1960. Retired.
2	Santiago Polanco Abreu	Popular Democratic	Democratic	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1969	Elected in 1964. Lost re-election.
3	Jorge Luis Córdova	New Progressive	Democratic	January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1973	Elected in 1968. Lost re-election.
4	Jaime Benítez	Popular Democratic	Democratic	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1977	Elected in 1972. Lost re-election.
5	Baltasar Corrada del Río	New Progressive	Democratic	January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1985	Elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1980. Retired to run for mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
6	Jaime Fuster	Popular Democratic	Democratic	January 3, 1985 – March 3, 1992	Elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1988. Resigned to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.
7	Antonio Colorado	Popular Democratic	Democratic	March 4, 1992 – January 3, 1993	Appointed to finish Fuster's term. Lost re-election.
8	Carlos Romero Barceló	New Progressive	Democratic	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001	Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1996. Lost re-election.
9	Aníbal Acevedo Vilá	Popular Democratic	Democratic	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2005	Elected in 2000. Retired to run for Governor of Puerto Rico.
10	Luis Fortuño	New Progressive	Republican	January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2009	Elected in 2004. Retired to run for Governor of Puerto Rico.
11	Pedro Pierluisi	New Progressive	Democratic	January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2017	Elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2012. Retired to run for Governor of Puerto Rico.
12	Jenniffer González	New Progressive	Republican	January 3, 2017 – present	Elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2020

Notes

Gonzalez caucuses with the Republican Party.

References

Michael Wines (July 26, 2019). "She's Puerto Rico's Only Link to Washington. She Could Be Its Future Governor". The New York Times.
James R. Fuster, Member of Congress from Puerto Rico (August 29, 1990). "Our 51st State?". Newsweek.
"Commish. Jenniffer González-Colón, Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico's At-Large District, Republican". govtrack.us. January 3, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
Ida A. Brudnick. "Salaries of Members of Congress : Recent actions and Historical Tables". Senate.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
Rundquist, Paul S. "Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico". congressionalresearch.com. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
Pub.L. 56–191, §39 (31 Stat. 86)
Pub.L. 64–368, §36 (39 Stat. 963)

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[9] Gonzalez caucuses with the Republican Party.

[PuRicoGonz.NYT19-1] Michael Wines (July 26, 2019). "She's Puerto Rico's Only Link to Washington. She Could Be Its Future Governor". The New York Times.

[PuRicoFuster.NewsW90-2] James R. Fuster, Member of Congress from Puerto Rico (August 29, 1990). "Our 51st State?". Newsweek.

[cq-3] "Commish. Jenniffer González-Colón, Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico's At-Large District, Republican". govtrack.us. January 3, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.

[4] Ida A. Brudnick. "Salaries of Members of Congress : Recent actions and Historical Tables". Senate.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2015.

[:0-5] Rundquist, Paul S. "Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico". congressionalresearch.com. Retrieved August 3, 2019.

[6] Pub.L. 56–191, §39 (31 Stat. 86)

[7] Pub.L. 64–368, §36 (39 Stat. 963)

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