[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN THE INTRODUCTION OF V.I. LEGISLATURE REDUCTION ACT

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                       HON. DONNA MC CHRISTENSEN

                           of virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 22, 1999

  Ms. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill which 
was submitted to me, by the members of the Legislature of my 
Congressional District, to make it possible for the Virgin Islands 
Legislature to reduce its size. This proposal was also introduced in 
the previous Congress but was not acted upon in time to become law.
  Mr. Speaker, the Virgin Islands and the other U.S. Territories 
continue to strive for full local self-government. While we have 
achieved local self-government in many ways already, from time to time, 
those of us that have not yet adopted a local constitution, have to 
petition Congress to make changes in the general law, or Organic Act, 
which governs us. This bill is one of those times.
  In a resolution petitioning the Congress to reduce the number of 
Virgin Islands Senators, it stated that the people of the Virgin 
Islands is represented by a 15 member Legislature which is among the 
highest ratio of legislators to constituents currently existing in any 
U.S. jurisdiction. The bill that I introduce today does not proscribe 
what the number of Virgin Islands Senators will be but leaves it up to 
the legislature and people of the Virgin Islands to decide.
  I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

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