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Hastings Questions Stelle Appointment to NW NOAA Fisheries Post

| Posted in Press Release

The Obama Administration’s announced return of Mr. Will Stelle to the regional fisheries post he held in the Clinton-Gore Administration prompted Rep. Doc Hastings (WA-04) to send a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke that expressed strong concerns about the selection and requested detailed disclosures on the nominee’s client history and potential conflicts of…

VIDEO RELEASE: Facts on Puerto Rico Statehood Needed Before, not After Vote on H.R. 2499

| Posted in Resourceful Information

In anticipation of today’s vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released a video and accompanying fact sheets outlining concerns and questions about the proposed legislation.  H.R. 2499 would provide for a two-step vote process in Puerto Rico on their future political status, including the option of…

Check Out the Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499) Page

| Posted in Blog

Today the U.S. House of Representatives will vote for H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act.  H.R. 2499 would provide for a two-step vote process in Puerto Rico on their future political status, including the option of becoming the nation’s 51st state. Ranking Republican Doc Hastings released a video that outlines concerns and questions about the proposed legislation: Click here to…

What Would Statehood for Puerto Rico Mean – the Need For Facts

| Posted in Resourceful Information

The House of Representatives is expected to soon vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act. This bill would provide for a two-step vote process in Puerto Rico on their future political status, including the option of becoming the nation’s 51st state. Puerto Rico is able to conduct its own local plebiscite or referendum, as they have done three times in the past, yet this bill…

Ranking Member Hastings' Op-Ed in The Washington Times on Puerto Rico Democracy Act

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

HASTINGS: Backdoor approach to statehood April 27, 2010 Washington Times Rep. Doc Hastings When the Democratic majority was working to push through a government takeover of health care, Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared, "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." Unfortunately, that same kind of backward logic is being used as Congress prepares to vote on the…

Get the Facts on the Puerto Rico Democracy Act

| Posted in Resourceful Information

The Puerto Rico Democracy Act would authorize a federally-sanctioned plebiscite (vote) of the people of Puerto Rico regarding their political future. Currently, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory with Commonwealth status. Puerto Rico residents are U.S. citizens, but do not pay federal incomes taxes and are represented in Congress by a non-voting Resident Delegate. H.R. 2499…

Hastings Blog on RedState: Answers Needed Before Another Star is Added to U.S. Flag

| Posted in Op-Eds and Speeches

Answers Needed Before Another Star is Added to U.S. Flag April 23, 2010 By Rep. Doc Hastings Next week the House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, which gives the people of Puerto Rico the opportunity to vote on their political future including the possibility of becoming America’s 51st state.  Officially, the bill would create a…

House to Consider “Puerto Rico Democracy Act” Next Week, Bill would Set up Vote on Potential 51st State

| Posted in Resourceful Information

Next week, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act.  This bill would authorize a federally sanctioned plebiscite (vote) of the Puerto Rican people regarding their political future. The bill mandates a two-step voting process.  The first vote would allow the people of Puerto Rico to choose between selecting a “different political…

Hastings: Science and Economics Say Reduce Spills at Dams, Transport Juvenile Salmon in Low Water Year

| Posted in Press Release

Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting that, in light of this year’s low water supplies, endangered juvenile salmon should be transported past dams rather than flushed downstream by…