[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H7649-H7651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ALLOWING ELECTION OF DELEGATE FROM GUAM BY OTHER THAN SEPARATE BALLOT

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1460) to allow for election of the Delegate from 
Guam by other than separate ballot, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1460

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

     SECTION 1. BALLOT REQUIREMENT FOR DELEGATE.

       Section 2(a) of the Act entitled ``An Act to provide that 
     the unincorporated territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands 
     shall each be represented in Congress by a Delegate to the 
     House of Representatives'' approved April 10, 1972 (48 U.S.C. 
     1712(a)), is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``from the Virgin Islands'' before ``shall 
     be elected at large''; and
       (2) by inserting ``The Delegate from Guam shall be elected 
     at large and by a majority of the votes case for the office 
     of Delegate.'' before ``If no candidate''.

     SEC. 2. PROGRAM EXTENSION FOR COMMUNITIES IN THE FORMER 
                   UNITED STATES TRUST TERRITORY.

       Section 103(h)(2) of the Compact of Free Association Act of 
     1985 (48 U.S.C. 1903(h)(2)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``ten'' and inserting ``fifteen''; and
       (2) by adding at the end of subparagraph (B) the following: 
     ``The President shall ensure the assistance provided under 
     these programs reflects the changes in the population since 
     the inception of such programs.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska [Mr. Young] and the gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] will 
each control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young].
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. YOUNG of Alaska asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, this is a Democrat bill, I would 
say to the gentleman from California [Mr. Condit]. I am sure the 
gentleman is going to ask for a vote, too.
  The legislation by the delegate from Guam, H.R. 1460, will change 
existing Federal law to permit the Government of Guam to elect a 
delegate by other than separate ballot. The bill, as reported 
unanimously by the Committee on Resources, is being amended at my 
urging to continue a crucial program for certain small communities in 
the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands which were affected 
by the United States nuclear testing. As the current authorization 
expires at the end of this fiscal year, it is essential to take action 
to permit the continuance of this necessary program.
  As H.R. 1460 is consistent with increasing local self-government both 
in Guam and in the small atoll communities in the former U.S.-
administered trust territory, and does not result in any adverse 
budgetary impact, I would urge my colleagues to adopt the measure. This 
is a good piece of legislation. I congratulate the gentleman from Guam 
for introducing the legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1460 as 
amended by the Committee on Resources. Section 1 of the legislation 
would provide cost savings to the Government of Guam in its conduct of 
the election of the Guam Delegate to Congress.
  This section has no opposition and has no impact on the Federal 
budget. The legislation would remove the much-dated single ballot 
requirement that has been in place in Guam since the inception of the 
Guam Delegate position. This would enable the ballot to be combined 
with those for other elective offices by the Guam Election Commission, 
and the Commission estimates a cost savings of more than $10,000.
  Section 2 of this legislation would extend the Eniwetok Food and 
Agricultural Program for an additional 5 years. Many of my colleagues 
should remember the nuclear testing that was conducted by the United 
States in the atolls of the Marshall Islands. Eniwetok Atoll, along 
with Bikini Atoll,

[[Page H7650]]

were the subjects of these nuclear tests.
  These tests caused a release of radioactive contaminants on these 
atolls and into their atmosphere. The people of these islands were 
displaced and resettled on other atolls, and there was always a 
commitment by the United States that they would be resettled at a later 
time.

                              {time}  1745

  Although some of this has occurred 20 or more years later, the vast 
majority of the land, some 75 percent, is not suitable or available for 
food production.
  The livelihood of the Eniwetok people has been advanced by this food 
and agricultural program. The program provides the Eniwetok people with 
safe imported food for consumption as well as nutritional and 
agricultural rehabilitation assistance. Also included in this 
legislation is language that would address the growth and the 
population of the Eniwetok people since the program was created more 
than 10 years ago.
  We have a unique relationship with the Marshall Islands which needs 
support and understanding. The Marshalls is in free association with 
the U.S. Aside from the nuclear testing we have conducted in the 
Marshalls, we continue to use Kwajalein Atoll as part of a system of 
missile testing. We should be mindful of this unique and beneficial 
relationship when programs like the Eniwetok Food and Agricultural 
effort are reviewed. We must support the people of Eniwetok and indeed 
all of the Marshalls.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, but I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from 
Michigan [Mr. Dingell], if I may, if he would like to speak on our 
favored bill. He was not here. But if he wants to speak on something 
else, that is fine, too. After all, he is a senior Member of this House 
and I bow to his wisdom and maturity.
  (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank and commend my dear 
friend, the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young], and I do want to note 
the fine work of the gentleman on the Refuge System Improvement Act of 
1997 and tell him what a great pleasure it was for me to work with him, 
what a good piece of legislation I think it is. And it brings back 
great memories that he and I shared of years past, when he used to work 
on the same kind of questions back when this business was done in the 
Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation on the Committee on 
Merchant Marine and Fisheries, where the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. 
Young] was a valuable member, as he is today a valuable member as the 
chair of the Committee on the Interior, and I thank him, and I had a 
few remarks which I think would just help say nice things about him and 
others who have made possible a significant advance in terms of 
protection of a great national treasure, our refuge system.
  Mr. Speaker, today we find ourselves in the very fortunate position 
of having agreed to legislation which almost everyone agrees will 
better protect species and habitat on our Nation's wildlife refuges. It 
does so while articulating an overall mission for the National Wildlife 
Refuge System and providing general management guidance that the System 
has sorely needed for too long.
  Not only does this codify almost all of the administrative reforms 
signed by President Clinton last year, it makes very clear the 
important role that hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent 
recreational uses play in the successful option of our refuge system.
  I understand that the Senate adopted three minor changes that it 
deemed important to the continued vitality of the Refuge System. After 
reviewing these proposals, I agree. Those changes include making clear 
that compatible uses can include wildlife and non-wildlife dependent 
uses; requires the Secretary to monitor the status and trends of fish, 
wildlife and plants on refuges; and makes clear how periodic re-
evaluation of secondary uses, such as electric utility rights-of-way, 
will be conducted consistent with the National Wildlife Refuge System 
Administration Act of 1966, as will soon be amended.
  Mr. Speaker, many people deserve credit for bringing this legislation 
to a point where the President will sign it. I'd like to thank Chairman 
Young, Ranking Member Miller, and Secretary Bruce Babbitt for their 
leadership in helping bring about passage of this most important 
legislation.
  I might note in closing, Mr. Speaker, that these same people are all 
very interested in the future protection of wildlife and plants that 
are NOT on refuge lands but still in need of federal protection. There 
is much discussion in both chambers about how to reauthorize the 
Endangered Species Act. I understand that the other body had a hearing 
on a consensus, bipartisan bill introduced last week. While I 
understand that the Senate bill is not a perfect bill, I wish to take 
note of the fact that reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act is 
5 years overdue. With the passage of the Refuge Bill, it is my hope 
that all of the Members and interests that have an interest in the 
Endangered Species Act will negotiate in good faith so we might bring 
about better, smarter protection of species on all of our lands across 
the nation.
  Mr. Speaker, in the meantime we have before us a good bill that is 
the product of hard work, sensible compromise, and in the interest of 
our refuges' future. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1420.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands [Ms. Christian-Green].
  Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague the gentleman 
from Guam [Mr. Underwood] for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support passage of 
H.R. 1460, which was introduced by our colleague the gentleman from 
Guam [Mr. Underwood]. I also want to take this time to commend the 
gentleman for his hard work in getting Congress to address not only the 
provisions of this bill, but the many issues faced by the people of 
Guam.
  Mr. Speaker, next year marks the 100th anniversary of Guam's becoming 
a member of the American family at the end of the Spanish-American War. 
It would be a deserving tribute to the people of Guam if this House, in 
recognition of the loyalty and support that Guam has shown for this 
Nation during those 100 years, could pass H.R. 100, the Guam 
Commonwealth Act, before this 100th anniversary ends.
  Mr. Speaker, the Guam Election Commission has requested that Congress 
pass H.R. 1460 to remedy the cost of the Federal requirement that 
election ballots for delegates of Guam to the House of Representatives 
be by separate ballot from those of other elected officials.
  Mr. Speaker, we should unanimously support our colleague and H.R. 
1460 because it would facilitate the election of the delegate in Guam 
and avoid unnecessary costs. I urge my colleagues to support enactment 
of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I would further like to thank the gentleman from Alaska 
[Mr. Young], chairman of the Committee on Resources, as well as the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Miller], the ranking Democrat, for their 
efforts to bring this bill to the floor today.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking 
member for their attention to the issues pertaining to Guam, and I am 
particularly grateful to the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young] for his 
interest in the insular areas and in attending to issues pertaining to 
us.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1460, 
a bill which will permit the government of Guam to include the 
candidates for the position of Guam's Delegate to the U.S. House of 
Representatives on the same ballot with candidates running for 
territorial office. The bill will also extend for 5 years a food 
assistance program in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
  Mr. Speaker, we have been trying to help the government of Guam 
reduce its election expenses for a couple of years now. I want to thank 
Chairman Don Young and senior Democrat George Miller for scheduling 
committee action on this legislation so we could address Guam's 
election problem.
  For the record, there are similar provisions in the Federal laws 
which govern the election of congressional delegates in American Samoa 
and the Virgin Islands, but it is my understanding that the leaders of 
these two governments prefer not to change the laws governing their 
elections at this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise in strong support of extending the food 
assistance program for the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The United 
States created a multidimensional disaster

[[Page H7651]]

when it conducted atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons in the Pacific 
and the people of the Marshall Islands are still suffering from the 
aftermath of those tests. We have a moral obligation to provide this 
food assistance, and much more, for the damage we did to their country 
with our atmospheric tests. As this is the same provision which passed 
the Senate as section 1 of S. 210, I am glad to see we are considering 
at least this small portion of that legislation, so these Pacific 
islanders can continue to receive this necessary assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Gutknecht]. The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1460, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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