{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chuygarcia.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-garcia-statement-on-house-passage-of-the-puerto-rico-status-act", "Rep. Garc\u00eda Statement on House Passage of the Puerto Rico Status Act", "2022-12-15", "2022", "2022-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Jes\u00fas G. \"Chuy\" Garc\u00eda", "G000586", "chuygarcia.house.gov", "chuygarcia", "https://chuygarcia.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 Congressman Jes\u00fas \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (IL-04) issued the following statement after passage of the Puerto Rico Status Act, which authorizes a federally sponsored plebiscite through which the people of Puerto Rico can vote to decide the island\u2019s political status:\n\n\u201cThough this bill is imperfect, I could not vote against such an important step in the decolonization process of Puerto Rico. I support this version of the bill to give a voice to those most impacted by the legacy of colonialism in Puerto Rico.\n\n\u201cAs a Member of Congress representing one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the country, I do not take this decision lightly. I understand that my vote today will elicit strong\u2014and valid\u2014responses from various viewpoints.\n\n\u201cThe bill has improved since we considered it in the Natural Resources Committee, addressing concerns I had at that time on two main fronts: citizenship and transparency in the electoral process. The bill now clarifies and offers more inclusive conditions for citizenship under the Articles of Free Association. It also improves transparency by creating processes for national and international observers to be present at future elections.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chuygarcia.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-garcia-statement-on-house-passage-of-the-puerto-rico-status-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4479230158030987, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}