[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.
____________________