[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 144 (Monday, October 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10664-H10665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         ISSUES OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christian-Green) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN. Mr. Speaker, I come from a part of this great 
country that is known as America's Paradise and for its natural beauty, 
its comfortable climate, and its hospitable people. But, Mr. Speaker, 
today the U.S. Virgin Islands is becoming a paradise lost. So, in these 
final hours of the 105th Congress, I rise to once again draw its 
attention to some issues of critical importance to my territory and to 
make this final plea for support and enactment.
  First is the issue of the excise tax on Virgin Islands-produced rum, 
although I must tell my colleagues that this also applies to Puerto 
Rico. By law, all of the excise taxes on this rum is to be returned to 
the territory. But, Mr. Speaker, we have never received the full 
``cover over'' as it is called.
  In the early 1980s, it was agreed that the full 100 percent would be 
returned. But, due to problems unrelated to the Virgin Islands and long 
since resolved, it was never realized. Up until 5 years ago, we 
received only 77 percent of those taxes. At that time it was increased 
to 80 percent, but only through this fiscal year 1998.
  In this year's budget submitted by the President, funds were provided 
to fully correct this and return the full amount to the Virgin Islands 
and to Puerto Rico, but this has still not been passed nor has it been 
assured. If nothing is done to extend the return at its current level, 
or hopefully at the full 100 percent, it will revert. The territory 
would lose badly-needed revenue, and this would further jeopardize our 
already troubled economy because we depend on it for needed capital 
projects and bond repayments.
  The second issue is one that is also important to the people of 
Puerto Rico as it is to my own constituents in the Virgin Islands. It 
is the provision of insurance to meet the health care needs of our 
children. This too has been included and was fully offset in the budget 
sent to the Congress in 1997, and again in this year. Last year, the 
funding was cut back to one-sixth of what

[[Page H10665]]

was initially proposed. Unfortunately, the health needs of our children 
did not commensurately reduce.

                              {time}  2300

  All we ask is that this year's chip be fully funded at the proposed 
level and that no American child be left behind for any reason and 
surely not just because of where he or she lives.
  There is one more issue that I would like to address to this as well 
as to the other body. That is also to ask for inclusion of the 
miscellaneous tariff bill in the final budget agreement. This was a 
part of the proposed 1999 budget and its budgetary impact is 
negligible.
  Mr. Speaker, included in this bill is an extension of a provision 
that would save our watch industry and badly needed jobs, particularly 
on my home island of St. Croix. All of these programs represent 
minuscule dollars in the larger scheme, but to my district, which has 
been buffeted by storm after storm, they have enormous impact.
  Mr. Speaker, many of the districts represented in this House have 
been, all of them have been experiencing an economic boom, while ours, 
largely because of repeated natural disasters, is languishing.
  Let me interject a word here about the latest hurricane to hit us, 
Georges, because not much has been said in the national press about its 
impact on the Virgin Islands. For us, as in other parts of the 
Caribbean and the United States, Hurricane Georges was a major 
hurricane that affected all four of our islands. However, because we 
have learned from the past and with FEMA's help applied those lessons 
successfully, our damages, though quite disruptive to our lives, were 
minimized and our recovery is moving steadily ahead. But we cannot 
fully rebound and take up a path of economic revitalization and 
sustainable growth without the help that these three programs would 
provide. So we ask that all be included in the final budget package.
  The rum excise taxes so that we can continue to build, the children's 
health insurance dollars to help our families and alleviate the burden 
on our Medicaid capped government, and the lifeline needed by our 
otherwise dying watch industry.
  I want to join my colleagues who spoke earlier in thanking 
Congressman Joe Kennedy for his contributions to this House and this 
country and to wish him well as he leaves to continue what I know will 
be a life of service to all of us.

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