[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       GUAM CALLS FOR GREATER PARTICIPATION IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Packard]. Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow in the Committee on Resources at 
10 a.m., a hearing will be held on H.R. 100, which is the commonwealth 
bill for Guam. I want to thank the chairman of the Committee on 
Resources, the gentleman from Alaska, [Mr. Don Young], for allowing us 
to hold this hearing to achieve some final resolution on this 
commonwealth proposal, which has been developed on Guam throughout the 
decade of the 1980's, and which has been alive as proposed legislation 
in this Congress and previous Congresses going back to 1988 and the 
time of my predecessor, Mr. Ben Blaz.
  The hearing will afford us an opportunity to get clarification from 
the administration, who has been negotiating this document, along with 
the Guam Commission on Self-Determination. And the person in charge of 
that is John Garamendi, the Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
  We hope that people will understand that the commonwealth proposal is 
something that has been arrived at on a bipartisan basis on Guam. It is 
something that has achieved wide consensus on Guam, and is something 
which needs serious attention.
  It is numbered H.R. 100, in light of the fact that next year, 1998, 
marks the 100th anniversary of Guam's association with the United 
States. Some 100 years ago, as a result of the Spanish-American War, 
Guam was taken and the U.S. flag flown over Guam on June 20, 1898, 
approximately a month earlier than Puerto Rico was taken by the United 
States.
  Most people know Guam as a military installation, perhaps a little 
bit as a result of the wartime experience of the people of Guam, but 
Guam today is a proud island of 150,000 people, with a significant 
indigenous population eager to exercise their self-determination.
  We have a $3 billion a year economy fueled mostly by tourism. The 
military presence continues to be important, and of course Guam is very 
important in the strategic picture of the United States in that part of 
the world, but the military no longer holds the commanding position it 
once did in terms of its impact on the local economy.
  Joining with the three Governors, three living Governors of Guam, 
Gov. Carl Gutierrez, the incumbent, Gov. Joe Ada, and Gov. Paul Calvo, 
the latter two Republicans and the first a Democrat, is a large 
contingent from Guam numbering over 40 people, and I will enter their 
names into the Record.
  These people reflect a good cross-section of the people of Guam. They 
reflect the energy and the concern and the determination of the people 
of Guam to reach the next level of their political development, and 
this next level of their political development is embodied in H.R. 100, 
which provides for a new expanded relationship with the Federal 
Government based on the principles of mutual consent and the 
establishment of a joint commission, provides for local control of 
immigration, and allows Guam to have fuller control over its own 
economic activities.
  We hope that the administration tomorrow in their testimony, and I 
recognize that there are many problems, we have been in negotiation now 
for 4 to 5 years, that are still remaining on this issue, but we are 
hoping that the administration comes across tomorrow with a position 
that does not close the door to further discussion.
  I know the Committee on Resources, which is the only committee to 
have the flags of the territories flying in its committee room, will 
take seriously its responsibility to deal with insular areas in a 
creative and fair-minded way. This is a call for greater participation 
in American democracy. It is a call whose time has come. One hundred 
years is just too long.
  Mr. Speaker, the list of names referred to above are submitted 
herewith for the Record.

         Guam Delegation to Washington for Hearing on H.R. 100

       Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez, First Lady Geri Gutierrez, 
     Former Governor Joseph Ada, Former Governor Paul Calvo, 
     Senator Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson, Senator Anthony Blaz, 
     Senator Mark Forbes, Senator Vicente Pangelinan, Senator 
     Francis Santos, Mayor Paul McDonald, Mayor Isabel Haggard, 
     Chief Justice Peter Siguenza, Judge Alberto Lamorena, Judge 
     Joaquin Manibusan, Archbishop Anthony Apuron, Carolos 
     Baretto, Leland Bettis, John Blaz, Bill Bufford, Toni 
     Bufford.
       Dennis Crisostomo, Hope Cristobal, Toni Cross, Vicky Cruz, 
     Darrell Doss, Melissa Finney, Bernie Gines, Melanie Gisler, 
     Elizabeth Gray, Jose Guevera, Carla Gutierrez, Hannah 
     Gutierrez, Steven Hattori, Martin Jenkins, Scott Kimmel, 
     Elfrie Koshiba, Diane Martos, Mary Matalas, Ben Meno, Kyle 
     Oh.
       Romy Pangilinan, Leonard Paulino, Tita Paulino, Rene 
     Quintans, Frieda Ramarui, Rory Respicio, Ron Rivera, Richard 
     Rodriguez, Florencio Rupley, Eileen Sablan, Anthony Sanchez, 
     Peter Sgro, Laura Souder-Betances, Attorney General Charles 
     Troutman, Dan Tydingco, Shingpe Lee Wang.

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