[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1703-E1704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HISTORICAL RECORD ON PASSAGE OF FALEOMAVAEGA'S BILL TO PROTECT VOTING 
  RIGHTS OF AMERICAN SAMOA'S ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS AND OVERSEAS 
                                 VOTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 2, 2014

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include, for 
historical purposes, information on the passage of a bill to protect 
the voting rights of American Samoa's active duty service members and 
overseas voters.

                     [Press Release, Oct. 11, 2004]

Senate Passes Faleomavaega's Bill To Protect Voting Rights of American 
 Samoa's Active Duty Service Members; President Bush Expected To Sign 
                      Bill Into Law Within 30 Days

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that on Wednesday 
     September 15, 2004 the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
     Resources passed, by unanimous consent, H.R. 2010, a bill he 
     introduced to allow military and overseas voters to 
     participate in federal elections held in American Samoa. On 
     the evening of Sunday October 10, 2004, the United States 
     Senate also unanimously passed H.R. 2010 and the bill has now 
     been sent to President George W. Bush who is expected to sign 
     Faleomavaega's bill into law within the next thirty days.
       First and foremost, I want to thank American Samoa's 
     military men and women who are proudly serving our country at 
     a time when our nation is at war, the Congressman said. 
     American Samoa's sons and daughters have fought and died for 
     the right to vote and, as a Vietnam Veteran, I promised I 
     would do everything I could to make sure our military men and 
     women could fully participate in federal elections held in 
     American Samoa.
       This is why I introduced H.R. 2010 and why I am thankful 
     that this bill has enjoyed the full support of Republicans 
     and Democrats in the House and Senate. For the record, it 
     should be noted that not one Republican or Democrat in the 
     House or Senate objected to H.R. 2010 and I am thankful to my 
     colleagues for their support.
       No matter what is said, Congress is not about who is in the 
     Majority. Congress is about seniority, friendship, and 
     influence. It takes both Republicans and Democrats to get the 
     job done and it also takes the support of our local leaders, 
     Faleomavaega said. This is why I commend Governor Togiola, 
     the late Senate President Lutu T. Fuimaono, and Speaker 
     McMoore who also stood in support of H.R. 2010.
       I also commend the people of American Samoa, the 
     Congressman continued. Of those surveyed, more than 85% 
     agreed that our active duty military members deserve the 
     right to vote and, as a result of your support and prayers, 
     H.R. 2010 has now passed the House and Senate and has been 
     sent to the President of the United States who is also 
     expected to fully support this bill. Once signed, H.R. 2010 
     will become effective in 2006. Again, H.R. 2010 is an 
     historic bill. It is a bill that restores the voting rights 
     of our college students and active duty military members and 
     makes clear in no uncertain terms that the American Samoa 
     Legislature is vested with the authority it needs to 
     establish primary elections for the office of the Delegate, 
     if it so chooses.
       While my opponents continue to call this a plurality bill, 
     nothing could be further from the truth, Faleomavaega said. 
     Those who understand this bill know that this bill includes 
     both plurality and majority voting. If, for example, the 
     American Samoa Legislature establishes primary elections, the 
     general election for the office of the Delegate will be by 
     majority. If the American Samoa Legislature fails to 
     establish primary elections, the general election for the 
     office of the Delegate will be by plurality. Either way, our 
     military men and women and college students will have the 
     right to vote for their Representative to the United States 
     House of Representatives.
       Also, H.R. 2010 in no way affects how the American Samoa 
     Government chooses to elect its local leaders. Furthermore, 
     this matter is not new to the people or the Legislature of 
     American Samoa. The truth is this matter has been before the 
     people and our local leaders for the past five years. Since 
     1998, I have written to our Governors, past and present. I 
     have written and testified before our local Legislature and I 
     have brought this matter to the attention of our people 
     through press releases, newsletters, radio and tv programs. 
     In 2001, I also conducted a Congressional survey and 85% of 
     those surveyed agreed that American Samoas active duty 
     service members should be afforded the same rights and 
     privileges as every other American serving in the U.S. Armed 
     Forces.
       Having made every change requested of me by our local 
     leaders and after years of good-faith efforts on my part, I 
     am pleased that once the President signs H.R. 2010 into law 
     our military men and women and college students will have the 
     right to vote in federal elections held in American Samoa and 
     will no longer be disenfranchised from the process as a 
     result of Public Law 95-556 which was passed on October 31, 
     1978, Faleomavaega said. Federal, or PL 95-556, requires a 
     runoff election to be held only 14 days after the general 
     election. As Governor Togiola said, this creates a situation 
     where it is virtually impossible for American Samoas Election 
     Office to send out absentee ballots to the men and women in 
     the military and expect to receive them back in time for 
     those votes to be counted in a run-off election. In other 
     words, this is an injustice that has been made worse by the 
     current conflict in the Middle East where many American 
     Samoans are now serving and fighting for democracy.
       H.R. 2010 corrects the injustice and, for this reason, I am 
     thankful that the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of 
     Representatives, Governor Togiola, the late Senate President 
     Fuimaono, Speaker McMoore, and 85% of those surveyed in 
     American Samoa agreed with me that some measure should be put 
     in place to assure that the votes of our military men and 
     women are counted in federal elections held in American 
     Samoa, Faleomavaega said. I am also thankful that Senator 
     Akaka, a senior Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources, spoke out in support of H.R. 2010 and 
     urged the Senate to act quickly to pass this bill so that 
     American Samoas military men and women will have the 
     opportunity to vote to help select their representative to 
     the US. House of Representatives.
       Simply put, H.R. 2010 is the right thing to do and, to 
     alleviate any concerns that I will personally benefit from 
     this legislation, I would like to reiterate that I offered an 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute for purposes of 
     changing the effective date of this bill from January 2004 to 
     January 2006. This amendment was unanimously supported at 
     mark-up by the House Resources Committee and, as such, any 
     change in law will not go into effect until the 2006 election 
     cycle.
       At this time, I thank Chairman Pete Domenici and Ranking 
     Member Jeff Bingaman of the Senate Committee on Energy and 
     Natural Resources for supporting H.R. 2010. I also thank our 
     Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush, who I am 
     confident will soon sign H.R. 2010 into law. Above all, I 
     thank our military men and women from American Samoa who are 
     fighting for democracy so that you and I and future 
     generations may live in peace. As a Vietnam veteran, I wish 
     them the very best and, as always, I pray for their safe 
     return, the Congressman concluded.

[[Page E1704]]

     
                                  ____
                     [Press Release, Oct. 30, 2004]

   President Bush Signs Faleomavaega's Bill and Agrees that American 
              Samoa's Troops Should Have the Right To Vote

       Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that on the 
     evening of October 30, 2004 President Bush signed into law 
     H.R. 2010, a bill he introduced to restore the voting rights 
     of American Samoa's troops and college students.
       I made a promise that I would not rest until American 
     Samoa's active duty military men and women and other overseas 
     voters had the right to vote in federal elections held in our 
     Territory, Congressman Faleomavaega said. And, today, I thank 
     the President of the United States for signing my bill and 
     supporting our troops.
       American Samoa's military men and women have put their 
     lives on the line time and time again and some have even 
     given their lives for us to live in a free and democratic 
     society. Now we have come together to thank them for their 
     service by restoring their right to vote.
       Governor Togiola, Lieutenant Governor Aitofele Sunia, the 
     late and honorable President of the Senate, Lutu T. Fuimaono, 
     and many other members of the Fono supported this historic 
     legislation and I thank them for their support. More than 85% 
     of those surveyed in American Samoa also agreed that our 
     military men and women should have the right to vote and I 
     thank you for your support, Faleomavaega said.
       The U.S. House of Representatives and the United States 
     Senate also unanimously supported H.R. 2010. In fact, not one 
     Republican or Democrat in the House or Senate objected to my 
     bill. This is because H.R. 2010 is the right thing to do.
       H.R. 2010 includes both plurality and majority voting. If, 
     for example, the American Samoa Legislature establishes 
     primary elections, the general election for the office of the 
     Delegate will be by majority. If the American Samoa 
     Legislature fails to establish primary elections, the general 
     election for the office of the Delegate will be by plurality. 
     Either way, our military men and women and college students 
     will have the right to vote for their Representative to the 
     United States House of Representatives, Faleomavaega said.
       Also, H.R. 2010 in no way affects how the American Samoa 
     Government chooses to elect its local leaders and this matter 
     is not new to the people or the Legislature of American 
     Samoa. The truth is this matter has been before the people 
     and our local leaders for the past five years. Since 1998, I 
     have written to our Governors, past and present. I have 
     written and testified before our local Legislature and I have 
     brought this matter to the attention of our people through 
     press releases, newsletters, radio and tv programs. In 2001, 
     I also conducted a Congressional survey and 85% of those 
     surveyed agreed that American Samoa's active duty service 
     members should be afforded the same rights and privileges as 
     every other American serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
       Having made every change requested of me by our local 
     leaders and after years of good-faith efforts on my part, I 
     am pleased that H.R. 2010 has now been signed into law. As a 
     result of the Presidents support, our military men and women 
     and college students will now have the right to vote in 
     federal elections held in American Samoa and they will no 
     longer be disenfranchised from the process as a result of 
     Public Law 95-556 which was passed on October 31, 1978.
       Federal, or PL 95-556, requires a runoff election to be 
     held only 14 days after the general election. As Governor 
     Togiola said, this creates a situation where it is virtually 
     impossible for American Samoa's Election Office to send out 
     absentee ballots to the men and women in the military and 
     expect to receive them back in time for those votes to be 
     counted in a run-off election. In other words, this is an 
     injustice that has been made worse by the current conflict in 
     the Middle East where many American Samoans are now serving 
     and fighting for democracy.
       H.R. 2010 corrects the injustice and, for this reason, I am 
     thankful that President Bush, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House 
     of Representatives, many of our local leaders and the people 
     of American Samoa agreed with me that some measure should be 
     put in place to assure that the votes of our military men and 
     women are counted in federal elections held in American 
     Samoa.
       Again, I thank Senator Akaka, Chairman Pete Domenici and 
     Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman of the Senate Committee on 
     Energy and Natural Resources for supporting H.R. 2010. I also 
     thank Chairman Richard Pombo and Ranking Member Nick Rahall 
     of the House Committee on Resources for their support. Above 
     all, I thank our military men and women from American Samoa 
     who are fighting for democracy so that you and I and future 
     generations may live in peace. As a Vietnam veteran, I wish 
     them the very best and, as always, I pray for their safe 
     return, the Congressman concluded.

                          ____________________