SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s political status debate has returned to the centre of the island’s legislative agenda after lawmakers advanced two significant measures involving statehood and Puerto Rican citizenship certificates.

The Senate approved a resolution asking the U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump to move toward Puerto Rico’s admission as a state, while the House separately approved a measure targeting the issuance of Puerto Rican Citizenship Certificates.

The developments represent a renewed push by the island’s pro-statehood majority to place Puerto Rico’s political status before Washington.

The statehood resolution is a political request rather than an automatic change in Puerto Rico’s status. Admission of a new U.S. state ultimately requires action by Congress.

The measures come after years of debate over Puerto Rico’s territorial status and competing proposals for statehood, independence and other forms of political association.

Meanwhile, House Joint Resolution 348 would order Puerto Rico’s Department of State to stop issuing Certificates of Puerto Rican Citizenship and repeal the regulation governing them. The House approved the measure by 32 votes to 11.

The proposal argues that the certificates could create confusion about the legal status of Puerto Rican citizenship within the U.S. federal framework.

The citizenship-certificate measure is not yet law. It still requires Senate consideration and, if approved, would then face the governor’s action.

The developments are likely to generate debate among statehood supporters, advocates of other status options and Puerto Ricans concerned about the practical consequences of changing government-issued documents.

For Puerto Rico, the latest legislative actions show that the island’s unresolved political status remains a powerful issue capable of shaping the government’s agenda.

The measures now move into their next stages, where further legislative debate could determine how far the proposals advance.

The coming days could bring another important chapter in Puerto Rico’s long-running status debate.