[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7689-7690]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
                      FOREIGN SERVICE MEMBER REST

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3658) to amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to permit 
rest and recuperation travel to United States territories for members 
of the Foreign Service.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3658

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. INCLUSION OF UNITED STATES TERRITORIES AS ELIGIBLE 
                   FOR REST AND RECUPERATION TRAVEL FOR MEMBERS OF 
                   THE FOREIGN SERVICE.

       The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended--
       (1) in section 901(6)(B) (22 U.S.C. 4081(6)(B)), by 
     inserting after ``United States'' the following: ``or its 
     territories, including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of 
     Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
     Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands''; and
       (2) in section 903(b) (22 U.S.C. 4083(b)), by striking ``, 
     its territories and possessions, or the Commonwealth of 
     Puerto Rico'' and inserting ``or its territories, including 
     American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United 
     States Virgin Islands''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution 
and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  I want to recognize our colleague from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno) and 
the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and 
the Global Environment, Mr. Faleomavaega, for putting forward a very 
important measure.
  H.R. 3658 amends the Foreign Service Act to give the Secretary of 
State needed authority to ensure that foreign service officers from 
U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the 
U.S. Virgin Islands, are provided the same benefits as their colleagues 
from the 50 States.
  Currently, the State Department provides air transportation home from 
overseas assignments for the purpose of rest and recuperation to all 
foreign service officers who reside in any of the 50 States. However, 
current law does not permit the department to provide the same benefit 
to foreign service officers who reside in any of the territories.
  The State Department has informed us that they do not have any 
objection to this measure. The cost of implementing it would be very 
small as it would impact very few foreign service officers.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution that would 
rectify an inequity in the treatment of our dedicated foreign service 
officers.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3658, introduced by my 
good friend from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno).
  This bill will make a long overdue clarification to the Foreign 
Service Act that will allow American foreign service officers to take 
rest and recuperation travel, commonly referred to as R&R, in American 
Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands and, of course, the United States Virgin 
Islands.
  American diplomatic personnel who serve at hardship posts overseas 
are allowed to take State Department-funded R&R travel either at 
locations

[[Page 7690]]

abroad or locations in the United States. But the phrase ``locations in 
the United States'' has been interpreted by the State Department 
regulation to exclude U.S. territories for some reason. That 
interpretation has placed a distinctly unfair burden on foreign service 
officers from those territories who might wish to spend their R&R with 
families at home.
  It also puts U.S. territories at a disadvantage compared to other 
destinations abroad or in the United States where our diplomatic 
personnel may want to travel to rest and recuperate.
  I want to commend our colleagues who have sponsored this legislation 
to remove this inadvertent and unfair provision. H.R. 3658 is a worthy 
bill that deserves our unanimous support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno), the author of this bill.
  Mr. FORTUNO. I thank my colleague.
  I want to begin by thanking Chairman Berman for ushering H.R. 3658 
through the committee process. In his short time as chairman, Mr. 
Berman has shown intelligence, generosity and strong bipartisan spirit, 
the same leadership qualities displayed by his predecessor, the 
irreplaceable Tom Lantos.
  I want to thank my good friend, Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 
as well. I continue to marvel at her devotion to her constituents in 
south Florida and at her tireless efforts to help light the lantern of 
freedom in dark places around the world.
  I also want to thank the representatives from the other U.S. 
territories, all of whom are original cosponsors of H.R. 3658. And I 
want to thank you, Ms. Watson, and you, Judge Poe, for your support for 
this bill. I note that Ms. Watson served as a U.S. Ambassador to 
Micronesia and therefore brings a special expertise to this subject.
  Mr. Speaker, the specific purpose of H.R. 3658 is to permit Foreign 
Servicemembers to take rest and recuperation travel, known as R&R, in 
the five U.S. territories. The broader objective of the bill is to 
ensure that Federal employees from the U.S. territories enjoy the same 
rights and privileges as their fellow citizens from the 50 States.
  I am pleased that the American Foreign Service Association supports 
H.R. 3658, and that the State Department does not oppose its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, the Foreign Service Act lists the instances in which the 
State Department may pay the travel-related costs of Foreign 
Servicemembers. One section of the FSA states that the Department may 
pay the travel costs incurred by Foreign Service personnel for what is 
known as home leave. The purpose of the home leave is to ensure that 
Foreign Servicemembers who have been sent abroad undergo a period of 
reorientation to the United States. The FSA provides that home leave 
may be taken in the 50 States and the U.S. territories.
  Another section of the FSA states that the Department may pay the 
costs incurred by Foreign Servicemembers for R&R travel. Unlike home 
leave, which is granted to all Foreign Servicemembers who serve abroad, 
R&R is granted only to those stationed at hardship posts. Under the 
current FSA, R&R may only be taken in locations in the United States. 
State Department regulations have interpreted this phrase to exclude 
U.S. territories.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no principled basis for allowing Foreign 
Servicemembers to take home leave but not R&R in the U.S. territories, 
and H.R. 3658 amends the FSA to eliminate the distinction. Just as they 
proudly serve in our Nation's Armed Forces, residents of the U.S. 
territories also represent this great country abroad as diplomats. 
These men and women from the territories take the same risks and endure 
the same long absences from their families as their colleagues from the 
States. Making certain that our laws treat these public servants on 
equal terms is the only right thing to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you to consider the case of Mr. Ramon Negron. Mr. 
Negron is a U.S. citizen born and raised in Puerto Rico, a graduate of 
West Point, and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve. Mr. Negron 
currently serves as a political economic officer at the U.S. Interests 
section in Havana, Cuba, which is a hardship post. Mr. Negron's next 
posting, to begin this summer, is as the Embassy Office Director in 
Basra, Iraq. It is neither sensible, nor fair, that under current law 
the State Department will not cover the cost of airfare so this U.S. 
citizen, U.S. soldier and U.S. diplomat can travel home to Puerto Rico 
to be with his family before leaving for the Middle East. H.R. 3658 
will correct this disparity.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE. I would inquire of the gentlewoman if she has any other 
speakers.
  Ms. WATSON. I have no other speakers.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3658, to 
amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to permit rest and recuperation 
travel to United States territories for members of the Foreign Service, 
sponsored by my good friend and neighbor, Mr. Fortuno of Puerto Rico.
  Mr. Speaker, the Foreign Service Act unfortunately is not consistent 
in the way it treats citizens from the mainland and those from the 
territories. While it allows for the State Department to pay for 
Foreign Service members to return home, to any of the 50 states or U.S. 
territories, after being posted abroad, it only permits residents of 
the 50 states who are at hardship posts, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, 
to be granted R & R for a period of time while posted.
  This bill, at its core, is about equal and fair treatment for 
residents of the U.S. territories. When most of us hear the word home, 
we have a clear picture in our head of where that is. But for these 
Foreign Service members, it is not that simple. Under current law, 
these diplomats must pay their own way if they want to visit their 
family and friends back home in the territories, while diplomats from 
the states have their travel costs covered.
  Although these members are from a U.S. territory, they are our fellow 
citizens and commit their lives to the diplomatic causes. They join for 
the love of their country and risk their safety in dangerous posts.
  The bill before us today would eliminate this unequal and unfair 
treatment between Foreign Service members who reside in the territories 
and those that reside in the states. I urge my colleagues to support 
passage of H.R. 3658.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3658.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the 
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a 
quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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