[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       INAUGURAL MEETING OF INTER-AGENCY GROUP ON INSULAR AFFAIRS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, nearly 2 weeks ago President Clinton 
delivered his final State of the Union. It included the achievements of 
his administration, remarkable as they are, over the past 7\1/2\ years, 
rebuilding and returning America's economy to great posterity; over 20 
million new jobs, the lowest unemployment rates in 30 years, the lowest 
poverty rates in 20 years, the longest period of economic growth in 
America's history. President Clinton also pointed out that we have 
crossed the bridge we have built to the 21st Century and that we must 
now shape a new 21st Century American revolution of opportunity, 
responsibility, and community for all Americans.
  But, Mr. Speaker, there are many Americans who do not participate in 
this prosperity. There are thousands of Americans who do not enjoy the 
prosperity that most of America has felt across the Nation. Americans 
living in the U.S. Territories, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Marianas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, often rely on 
economic factors and economies apart from the American mainland for 
their economic well-being.
  U.S. Territories are unique because we are not fully incorporated 
with the U.S. Though we share many issues with our fellow Americans 
living in the U.S. mainland, our geography, our history and our 
political status present a number of economic challenges common amongst 
ourselves. Our commonalities, however, give this Nation and the 
President the opportunity to craft Federal policy that recognizes our 
status and extraordinary challenges to participate in the prosperity of 
the Nation.
  Like no other President, Mr. Clinton has risen and has been 
responsive to the challenge and has created an Interagency Group on 
Insular Areas called IGIA to provide guidance on Federal policies 
towards the U.S. Territories. This initiative will include Governors 
and Delegates to Congress and other elected officials that will come 
together and bring together some coherence in Federal policy.
  Next month, this inaugural meeting of the IGIA will take place. This 
will be an historic moment for the leaders of the territories, and I 
would like to take this opportunity to encourage the IGIA meeting and 
forum to address issues of economic development in Guam, particularly 
land and taxes, and, in light with that, to also remember the 
President's call to include all Americans in the prosperity of the 
Nation and to finally craft a policy which will bring the Territories 
into the prosperity of the Nation.
  Many of the situations that we face in Guam in terms of land and 
taxes need reform so that we can economically grow. We still face 
problems on the return of excess Federal lands. We are a small 
territory, but over one-third of our land is held by the Federal 
Government and we need assistance in making sure that these valuable 
lands are returned to the people of Guam.
  We are also trying to seek equity in the taxation of Guam, 
particularly for foreign direct investment. I have introduced a bill, 
H.R. 2462, which brings equity between Guam and other areas of the 
United States in terms of taxing foreign investment. Right now we are 
disproportionately taxed. In another related area, my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), has introduced 
a bill, H.R. 3247, which would make U.S. Territories eligible for 
empowerment zone designation. These are all resources that are a hand 
up, not a handout, and will go a long way towards bringing much needed 
assistance towards the Territories.
  There are many other programs, and we will discuss this as we go 
along, but the IGIA meeting early next month is the perfect vehicle 
through which to craft and review policy initiatives which will bring 
prosperity to those American communities which are offshore and have a 
very different relationship to Washington, D.C. than most Americans.
  I call upon the administration to work with the representatives of 
the Territories here in Washington and the chief executives of the 
respective territories to craft a new economic policy which will make 
sure that no child in Pago Pago goes without the educational life 
chances that children in the U.S. mainland have, that no family in St. 
Croix or St. Thomas will not have the same access to health care that 
Americans everywhere deserve, and that bread winners in Hagatna, Guam, 
do not have to leave their homeland and travel 6,000 miles to find a 
decent job.

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