Making laws
delegate to Congress
A non-voting House member representing a territory or the District of Columbia. They serve and vote in committee, but not on final passage.
In full
The District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands each elect a delegate, and Puerto Rico elects a resident commissioner to a four-year term. They introduce bills, sit and vote in committee, and speak on the floor, but cannot vote on final passage. That gap is the heart of the statehood and territorial representation debate.
Also written as: resident commissioner
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.