[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 494 Reported in House (RH)]
House Calendar No. 259
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 494
[Report No. 105-751]
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States has enjoyed the loyalty of the United States citizens of Guam,
and that the United States recognizes the centennial anniversary of the
Spanish-American War as an opportune time for Congress to reaffirm its
commitment to increase self-government consistent with self-
determination for the people of Guam.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 24, 1998
Mr. Underwood (for himself, Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Young of
Alaska, Mr. Miller of California, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Becerra, Mr.
Bonior, Mrs. Bono, Mr. Clay, Ms. Christian-Green, Mr. Cunningham, Mr.
Dooley of California, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Mr. Faleomavaega,
Mr. Farr of California, Mr. Frost, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Filner, Mr.
Gallegly, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr.
Holden, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. LaFalce, Mr. Lantos, Ms.
Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Jones, Mr. Markey, Mr. Matsui, Mr. McGovern,
Mr. Meehan, Mrs. Meek of Florida, Mrs. Mink of Hawaii, Ms. Norton, Mr.
Ortiz, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Pombo, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Rangel,
Mr. Roemer, Mr. Romero-Barcelo, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Sanchez, Mr.
Saxton, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Stump, and Ms. Stabenow)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Resources
September 28, 1998
Additional sponsors: Mr. Reyes, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Doolittle,
Mr. Rush, and Mr. Torres
September 28, 1998
Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States has enjoyed the loyalty of the United States citizens of Guam,
and that the United States recognizes the centennial anniversary of the
Spanish-American War as an opportune time for Congress to reaffirm its
commitment to increase self-government consistent with self-
determination for the people of Guam.
Whereas the Chamorro people have inhabited Guam and the Mariana Islands for at
least 4,000 years and developed a unique and autonomous seafaring
agrarian culture, governing themselves through their own form of
district government;
Whereas in 1565 the Kingdom of Spain claimed the islands of the Chamorro people,
which were named the Ladrones by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and renamed
the Marianas by the Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores in 1668,
to secure the trans-Pacific route of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade,
then, upon San Vitores's death in 1672, the islands were placed under
military governance;
Whereas in 1898 the United States defeated the Kingdom of Spain in the Spanish-
American War and acquired Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines by
virtue of the Treaty of Paris;
Whereas, in signing the treaty, the United States Government accepted
responsibility for its new possessions and agreed that Congress would
determine the civil rights and political status of the native
inhabitants, as stated specifically in Article IX;
Whereas President William McKinley, by Executive Order 108-A on December 23,
1898, placed the island of Guam under the administration of the United
States Navy, which administered and governed the island, initially as a
coaling station, then as a major supply depot at the end of World War
II;
Whereas a series of rulings popularly known as the ``Insular Cases'', issued by
the United States Supreme Court from 1901 to 1922, defined Guam as an
``unincorporated territory'' in which the United States Constitution was
not fully applicable;
Whereas the United States Naval Government of Guam was forced to surrender the
island of Guam to the invading forces of the Japanese Imperial Army on
December 10, 1941, after which Japanese occupation and control of Guam
lasted until the United States Forces recaptured the island in 1944;
Whereas Guam is the only remaining United States territory to have been occupied
by Japanese forces during World War II, the occupation lasting for 32
months from 1941 to 1944;
Whereas the people of Guam remained loyal to the United States throughout the
Japanese occupation, risked torture and death to help clothe and feed
American soldiers hiding from enemy forces, and were subjected to forced
labor, ruthless executions, and other brutalities for their support of
the United States;
Whereas, upon liberation of the people of Guam, the island was returned to
United States Navy governance, which, like its prewar predecessor,
limited the civil and political rights of the people, despite numerous
appeals and petitions to higher authorities and Congress for the
granting of United States citizenship and relief from military rule;
Whereas in 1945, upon establishment of the United Nations, the United States
voluntarily listed Guam as a nonself-governing territory, pursuant to
Article 73 of the United Nations Charter, and today Guam continues to be
included in this list;
Whereas on March 6, 1949, the House of Assembly, the lower house of the
popularly elected 9th Guam Congress, which was merely an advisory body
to the Naval Governor of Guam, adjourned in protest over the limitation
of its legislative rights granted to it by the United States Department
of the Navy in 1947 and refused to reconvene until the United States
Congress enacted an organic act for Guam;
Whereas the Organic Act of Guam (64 Stat. 384) passed by Congress and signed by
President Truman on August 1, 1950, statutorily decreed Guam's status as
an ``unincorporated territory'', established a three-branched civilian
government patterned after the Federal model, and conferred United
States citizenship upon the people of Guam;
Whereas, since the granting of American citizenship, the people of Guam have
greater participation in the American democratic processes and some
measure of self-government;
Whereas the people of Guam, who strongly adhere to the belief that a government
should derive power and right from the governed, successfully gathered
enough support to push for the passage of the Elective Governor Act
(Public Law 90-497) on September 11, 1968, and in which Congress granted
the people of Guam the right to elect their own governor and lieutenant
governor;
Whereas the Congress enacted the Guam-Virgin Islands Delegate bill on April 10,
1972, allowing for Guam to have a nonvoting delegate in the United
States House of Representatives, and although the delegate is not
accorded a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, it is
still one of the benchmarks in Guam's political evolution and heightens
Guam's visibility in the national arena;
Whereas, although Congress authorized in Public Law 94-584, the formation of a
locally drafted constitution, the subsequent Guam Constitution, it was
not ratified by Guam's electorate through a referendum on August 4,
1979;
Whereas concerns regarding Guam's political status led the Twelfth Guam
Legislature to create the first political status commission in 1973,
known as the Status Commission, the Thirteenth Guam Legislature in 1975
created another commission, known as the Second Political Status
Commission, to address Guam's political status issue and explore
alternative status options, and in 1980, the existing Guam Commission on
Self-Determination (CSD) was created to identify and pursue the status
choice of the people of Guam, and in 1996 the Twenty-Fourth Guam
Legislature created the Commission on Decolonization to continue
pursuing Guam's political status;
Whereas the CSD, after conducting studies on 5 Guam political status options,
proceeded to conduct a public education campaign, which was followed by
a status referendum on January 12, 1982 in which 49 percent of the
people of Guam voted for Commonwealth, 26 percent for Statehood, 10
percent for Status Quo, 5 percent for Incorporated Status, 4 percent for
Free Association, 4 percent Independence, and 2 percent for other
options;
Whereas on September 4, 1982, a runoff was held between commonwealth and
statehood, the top options from the January referendum, with the outcome
of the runoff resulting in 27 percent voting for statehood and 73
percent of Guam's electorate casting their votes in favor of a close
relationship with the United States through a Commonwealth of Guam
structure for local self-government;
Whereas in 1988 the people of Guam first presented the Guam Commonwealth Act to
Congress to meet the various aspirations of the people of Guam, which
bill has been reintroduced by Guam's Congressional delegates since 1988
until the present;
Whereas Congress has continued to enact other measures to address the various
aspirations of the people of Guam, while considering legislative
approaches to advance self-government without precluding Guam's further
right of self-determination, consistent with the national political
climate that emphasizes decentralization of the decision making process
from Washington to the local governments and a relationship with the
Federal Government that is based on mutual respect and consent of the
governed; and
Whereas the people of Guam are loyal citizens of the United States and have
repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to the American ideals of
democracy and civil rights, as well as to American leadership in times
of peace as well as war, prosperity as well as want: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes 100 years of Guam's loyalty and service to
the United States; and
(2) will use the centennial anniversary of the 1898
Spanish-American War to reaffirm its commitment to the United
States citizens of Guam for increased self-government,
consistent with self-determination for the people of Guam.
House Calendar No. 259
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 494
[Report No. 105-751]
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States has enjoyed the loyalty of the United States citizens of Guam,
and that the United States recognizes the centennial anniversary of the
Spanish-American War as an opportune time for Congress to reaffirm its
commitment to increase self-government consistent with self-
determination for the people of Guam.
_______________________________________________________________________
September 28, 1998
Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed