. >> they do have pedro pierluisi, the resident commissioner for puerto rico. he's elected to represent the territory in the u.s. house of representatives. and he has an office in the longworth house office building, which is right across the street from the u.s. capitol. while commissioner pierluisi cannot vote on final passage of bills, he can work behind the scenes, for example, on committees. and he's using that influence to promote statehood for his people. >> we're part of this nation, we have been part of this nation for over a century and we want to contribute the same way that others do up here. in fact, with almost 4 million residents, puerto rico has a bigger population than that of 24 u.s. states have, including oregon, oklahoma and connecticut. statehood means congress would have to add some new seats, two new senators and at least seven new representatives. that could affect the balance of power here on capitol hill. commissioner pierluisi received this gavel in recognition for his introducing the puerto rico democracy act to the house of represen