[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5108-5110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES CENTENNIAL COMMISSION ACT

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2615) to establish the Virgin Islands of the United States 
Centennial Commission, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2615

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Virgin Islands of the United 
     States Centennial Commission Act''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.

       There is established a commission to be known as the 
     ``Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission'' 
     (in this Act referred to as the ``Commission'').

     SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.

       The Commission shall--
       (1) plan, develop, and carry out such activities as the 
     Commission determines to be appropriate to commemorate the 
     100th anniversary of the Virgin Islands of the United States 
     becoming an unincorporated territory of the United States;
       (2) provide advice and assistance to Federal, State, and 
     local governmental agencies, as well as civic groups to carry 
     out activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 
     Virgin Islands of the United States becoming an 
     unincorporated territory of the United States; and
       (3) submit to the President and Congress the reports 
     required pursuant to section 7.

     SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.

       (a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission shall be 
     composed of 8 members as follows:
       (1) The Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular 
     Affairs or a designee of the Assistant Secretary.
       (2) One member appointed by the Governor of the Virgin 
     Islands of the United States or a designee of the Governor.
       (3) Two Members of the House of Representatives appointed 
     by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
       (4) One Member of the House of Representatives appointed by 
     the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
       (5) Two Members of the Senate appointed by the majority 
     leader of the Senate.
       (6) One Member of the Senate appointed by the minority 
     leader of the Senate.
       (b) Terms.--Each member of the Commission shall be 
     appointed for the life of the Commission.
       (c) Deadline for Appointment.--All members of the 
     Commission shall be appointed not later than 90 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (d) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission shall--
       (1) not affect the powers of the Commission; and
       (2) be filled in the manner in which the original 
     appointment was made.
       (e) Rates of Pay.--Members shall not receive compensation 
     for the performance of duties on behalf of the Commission.
       (f) Travel Expenses.--Each member of the Commission shall 
     be reimbursed for travel and per diem in lieu of subsistence 
     expenses during the performance of duties of the Commission 
     while away from home or regular place of business of the 
     member, in accordance with applicable provisions under 
     subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
       (g) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission 
     shall constitute a quorum to conduct business, but two or 
     more members may hold hearings.
       (h) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the Commission shall 
     be selected by a majority vote of the members of the 
     Commission.

     SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF COMMISSION.

       (a) Director and Staff.--The Commission shall appoint an 
     executive director and such other additional personnel as are 
     necessary to enable the Commission to perform the duties of 
     the Commission.
       (b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--The 
     executive director and staff of the Commission may be 
     appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, United 
     States Code, governing appointments in the competitive 
     service, and may be paid without regard to the provisions of 
     chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title 
     relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, 
     except that the rate of pay for the executive director and 
     other staff may not exceed the rate payable for level III of 
     the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of such title.
       (c) Detail of Federal Employees.--Upon request of the 
     Commission, the Secretary of the Interior or the Archivist of 
     the United States may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of 
     the personnel of the Department of the Interior or the 
     National Archives and Records Administration, respectively to 
     the Commission to assist the Commission to perform the duties 
     of the Commission.
       (d) Experts and Consultants.--The Commission may procure 
     such temporary and intermittent services from experts and 
     consultants as are necessary to enable the Commission to 
     perform the duties of the Commission.
       (e) Volunteer and Uncompensated Services.--Notwithstanding 
     section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Commission 
     may accept and use voluntary and uncompensated services as 
     the Commission determines necessary.

     SEC. 6. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

       (a) Hearings.--The Commission may, for the purpose of 
     carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times 
     and places, take testimony, and receive evidence as the 
     Commission considers appropriate.
       (b) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails 
     in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
     Federal agencies.
       (c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure 
     directly from any Federal agency information necessary to 
     enable the Commission to perform the duties of the 
     Commission. Upon request of the chairperson of the 
     Commission, the head of that Federal agency shall furnish 
     that information to the Commission.
       (d) Gifts, Bequests, Devises.--The Commission may solicit, 
     accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of 
     money, services, or property, both real and personal, for the 
     purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the Commission.
       (e) Available Space.--Upon the request of the Commission, 
     the Administrator of General Services shall make available to 
     the Commission, at a normal rental rate for Federal agencies, 
     such assistance and facilities as may be necessary for the 
     Commission to perform the duties of the Commission.
       (f) Contract Authority.--The Commission may enter into 
     contracts with and compensate the Federal Government, State 
     and local governments, private entities, or individuals to 
     enable the Commission to perform the duties of the 
     Commission.

     SEC. 7. REPORTS.

       (a) Annual Reports.--Not later than January 31 of each 
     year, and annually thereafter until the final report is 
     submitted pursuant to subsection (b), the Commission shall 
     submit to the President and the Congress a report on--
       (1) the activities of the Commission; and
       (2) the revenue and expenditures of the Commission, 
     including a list of each gift, bequest, or devise to the 
     Commission with a value of more than $250, including the 
     identity of the donor of each gift, bequest, or devise.
       (b) Final Report.--Not later than January 31, 2018, the 
     Commission shall submit a final report to the President and 
     the Congress containing--
       (1) a summary of the activities of the Commission; and
       (2) a final accounting of funds received and expended by 
     the Commission.

     SEC. 8. ANNUAL AUDIT.

       The Inspector General of the Department of the Interior--
       (1) may perform an audit of the Commission;
       (2) shall make the results of any such audit available to 
     the public; and
       (3) shall transmit such results to the Committee on 
     Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate.

     SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the 
     meaning given the term ``agency'' in section 551 of title 5, 
     United States Code.
       (2) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
     States, the District of Columbia, each territory or 
     possession of the United States, and each federally 
     recognized Indian tribe.

     SEC. 10. TERMINATION.

       The Commission shall terminate on September 30, 2018, or 
     may terminate at an earlier date determined by the Commission 
     after the final report is submitted pursuant to section 7(b).

     SEC. 11. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

       No Federal funds are authorized or may be obligated to 
     carry out this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. 
Plaskett) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I prefer to have the gentlewoman from the

[[Page 5109]]

Virgin Islands, who is the chief sponsor of this bill, speak first on 
this issue.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
and thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of H.R. 2615, the Virgin 
Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act. H.R. 2615 will 
establish a short-term commission to research, plan, develop, and carry 
out activities related to the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Islands 
becoming part of the United States.
  The commission will revisit the history leading up to and directly 
following the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the United 
States. Its purpose will be to educate those unaware of that history on 
a national level of the importance of the territories to the 
geopolitical advancement of this great Nation.
  The history of the Virgin Islands and its people is profound, Mr. 
Speaker. It tells a story of a land so resource-rich and unique in its 
geography that it was occupied by seven different nations. It tells the 
story of a resilient people who insurrected slavery and colonial 
oppression to achieve self-governance.
  In 1493, when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of St. Croix, 
which was then called Aye Aye by its native inhabitants, it is the only 
place in what is now the United States in which Christopher Columbus 
landed, but it is also reported to be the first place that he met armed 
resistance. He renamed islands, part of a chain, the Virgin Islands.
  In 1733, on the island of St. John, the slaves rose up, taking 
control of the island for almost a year until European powers worked 
together and the Danish received the help of the French and Spanish 
Armada to help quell what would have been and was one of the first 
slave uprisings in the New World.
  In the mid-1700s, a young boy on the island of St. Croix by the name 
of Alexander Hamilton received the support of merchant patrons on the 
island who put together sufficient money to finance his travel and 
education to the Colonies. He brought to the Colonies his understanding 
of finance and a monetary system learned from apprenticeship from those 
merchants, as well as the unique accounting theories from the West 
African slaves of the island.
  Those economic gifts, along with his fighting spirit for revolution, 
liberty, and abolitionist fervor served him and this country well, as 
he would soon become the first United States Secretary of the Treasury 
and creator of our modern financial system.
  Virgin Islanders have played an integral role in the history of this 
Nation well before we were even part of this country. From its 
inception and beyond, activists and politicians, David Levy Yulee, the 
first Jewish United States Senator; Denmark Vesey, leader of the 
Charleston, South Carolina, slave revolt; Judah Benjamin, Secretary of 
Treasury of the Confederate Army, are all Virgin Islanders.
  William Leidesdorff, the founder of San Francisco, and Edward Wilmot 
Blyden, one of the founders of Liberia, are also from the Virgin 
Islands.
  After purchase by the United States in 1917, the contributions of 
Virgin Islanders have continued through individuals like David Hamilton 
Jackson, who was a staunch free press advocate and labor movement 
leader; Hubert Harrison, a key figure in the movement of the Harlem 
Renaissance; military veterans like Alton Adams, who was the first 
African American naval bandleader; and General Samuel Ebbesen.
  Ambassador Terence Todman and Congress of Racial Equality chief, Roy 
Innis, are Virgin Islanders. Actor Kelsey Grammer and future NBA Hall-
of-Famer Timothy Duncan are all from the Virgin Islands.
  The first female physician of this body as a Member of Congress, my 
predecessor, Donna Christensen, is a Virgin Islander.
  During the time of exploration and slave trade, our geographic 
location made us a hub of Western Hemisphere commerce for several 
centuries and served a crucial role in naval military activity in the 
Caribbean Basin.
  So nearly a century ago, the United States purchased the Virgin 
Islands from Denmark for its geographic importance. On March 31, 2017, 
the Virgin Islands of the United States will celebrate 100 years as a 
possession and part of the union of the United States.
  This bill, H.R. 2615, establishes the Virgin Islands of the United 
States Centennial Commission to research, plan, develop, and carry out 
activities the commission considers appropriate to commemorate--and I 
say commemorate, not celebrate--commemorate a more solemn and worthy 
endeavor, the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Islands of the United 
States becoming an unincorporated territory of the United States.
  Now, I have spent a lot of time talking about the Virgin Islands' 
history and people because at the time of its transfer nearly 100 years 
ago, little thought was given to the history, and even less to the 
people of the Virgin Islands.
  As the Islanders during that time, my ancestors, my grandparents, 
watched the Danish flag come down and the Stars and Stripes unfold and 
ripple over the Fort in Christiansted and over many places in the 
Virgin Islands, they thought out loud: We knew what we had, but we 
don't know what we are going to get.
  Our elders and leaders hoped and believed that the purchase by the 
United States would herald greater opportunities and profound 
modernization. Unfortunately, this has not happened.
  It took a decade of petitioning and lobbying to be given citizenship, 
and we asked for--we asked for it and petitioned again to be part of 
the draft.
  What people willingly offer their sons to fight and die, except those 
wholly willing to be part of the entire American experience?
  Even now we have greater casualties per capita than any other group 
in this Nation in a volunteer military and is an example in part of our 
valor and patriotism.
  Through passage of H.R. 2615, the commission will serve as a vehicle 
to begin the work to tell the story and serve to expose the aspirations 
and dreams of the American people who call the Virgin Islands home.
  The commission will begin a national conservation, a discussion to 
assist in commemorating the great relationship between the United 
States and its islands--its American islands.
  The commission will allow a platform for meaningful dialogue around 
the Virgin Islands' history with the United States, the genesis of the 
issues affecting the territory, as well as how we solve them.
  This is an opportunity to engage lawmakers and our Nation around the 
challenges and enormous opportunities present in the Virgin Islands--
opportunities like our ports and transshipment position, our broadband 
capacity, our intellectual and artistic pursuits, our university which 
serves as the only HBCU in the Caribbean, and, most important, our 
people. Yes, the people still waiting to be recognized and made whole 
in that transfer nearly a century ago.
  As the Virgin Islands enters this next century under United States 
jurisdiction, it will have continued relevance in the region as foreign 
investments, commerce, information technology, and maritime traffic 
grow in the Caribbean. It is my hope and it is my dream that its people 
will have greater relevance in this great Nation and that this 
commission will show all the importance of that.
  I would like to thank all of the members of the committee for 
supporting this bill, voting it unanimously out of committee, and thank 
Ranking Member Cummings and especially the chairman, Mr. Chaffetz, for 
working with my staff and me on this bill.

                              {time}  1745

  This bipartisan commission, which will be comprised of House and 
Senate Members along with the administration and other officials, seems 
only fitting, as the 100th anniversary comes only once.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2615.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page 5110]]


  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  How can you reject that? She said it as eloquently and as 
passionately from her heart as you possibly could. I am pleased that we 
could move this forward.
  In short, this bill creates a bipartisan congressional commission to 
plan and carry out commemorative activities for the 100th anniversary 
of the Virgin Islands becoming an unincorporated territory of the 
United States. The transfer of the Virgin Islands from Denmark to the 
United States in 1917 was a significant historic and cultural event.
  Under the bill, the bipartisan commission will develop, plan, and 
execute formal commemorative activities to honor the rich heritage of 
the Virgin Islands. The commission's goal is to highlight the cultural, 
economic, and historical importance of the Virgin Islands. By 
celebrating this anniversary, the commission also has the opportunity 
to educate the citizens about the history of the United States Virgin 
Islands.
  The commission may solicit and accept gifts and donations to fund its 
activities, but there is a prohibition, as the legislation bars any use 
of Federal funds.
  Again, I thank our colleague, Stacey Plaskett, the Delegate from the 
Virgin Islands, for her passion and caring. It is one of the most 
beautiful places on the face of the planet--second, of course, to 
Utah's Third Congressional District. But, nevertheless, I think that is 
why they accepted this. I hope everybody gets a chance to visit there.
  My daughter--on a personal note--was able to work there this past 
summer for 3 months. She thoroughly enjoyed the people, the culture, 
and the sheer beauty that is the Virgin Islands.
  I look forward to supporting this piece of legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 2615, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________