[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3715 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3715

      To provide consultations for the development of Articles of 
          Incorporation for territories of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 22, 1993

 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To provide consultations for the development of Articles of 
          Incorporation for territories of the United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION.

    (a) Findings and Purpose.--
            (1) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
                    (A) the United Nations General Assembly has 
                declared the 1990's to be the International Decade for 
                the Eradication of Colonialism;
                    (B) the United States is one of the remaining 
                administering powers responsible for the evolution of 
                self-government in territories;
                    (C) a territory may be considered decolonized once 
                incorporated into an administering power consistent 
                with a freely expressed act of self-determination of 
                the people of the territory;
                    (D) nearly 4,000,000 United States citizens live in 
                unincorporated territories in which the United States 
                Constitution has not been extended in full; and
                    (E) the citizenship of residents born in the 
                unincorporated United States territories is of a 
                subordinated nature without equal protection, rights, 
                and responsibilities of those born in the several 
                States.
            (2) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide for a 
        process to enable the people of any United States territory to 
        become self-governing with constitutional rights and 
        responsibilities equal to those of the citizens in the several 
        States, through consultation and working with the United 
        States.
    (b) General Authority.--Before the period ending on December 31, 
1998, a territory of the United States may develop, in consultation 
with the United States, and submit to the Congress proposed Articles of 
Incorporation, which shall include measures that lead to the political 
empowerment of the United States citizens of the territory.
    (c) Appointment of Special Representatives.--At the request of a 
government of a territory of the United States to discuss incorporation 
with the United States of America, the President of the United States 
and the Governor of the requesting territory may designate special 
representatives to consult and develop in good faith, Articles of 
Incorporation, with the United States.
    (d) Submission to Congress.--The proposed Articles of Incorporation 
and accompanying report of the consultations shall be transmitted to 
the United States Congress within one year after the appointment of the 
special representatives, but not later than December 31, 1998.
    (e) Definition.--As used in this section, the term ``territory of 
the United States'' includes the Territory of American Samoa, the 
Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Territory of the United States 
Virgin Islands.

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