II
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 1332
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
SEPTEMBER 30, 1996
Received
RESOLUTION
To make certain technical changes affecting United States
territories, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Omnibus Insular Areas Act of 1996’’.
HR 1332 RDS
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Temporary absence of officials clarified.
Sec. 3. Amendments to priority of bonds and other obligations.
Sec. 4. Commission on the economic future of the Virgin Islands.
Sec. 5. Repeal of separate ballot requirement.
Sec. 6. Insular funding clarification.
Sec. 7. American Memorial Park.
Sec. 8. American Samoa Study Commission.
Sec. 9. Hawaiian Homes Commission.
SEC. 2. TEMPORARY ABSENCE OF OFFICIALS CLARIFIED.
Section 14 of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin
Islands (48 U.S.C. 1595) is amended by adding at the
end the following new subsection:
‘‘(g) An absence from the Virgin Islands of the Gov-
ernor or the Lieutenant Governor, while on official busi-
ness shall not be a ‘temporary absence’ for purposes of
this section.’’.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO PRIORITY OF BONDS AND OTHER
OBLIGATIONS.
(a) AUTHORITY TO ISSUE OBLIGATIONS.—Section 3
of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize the government
of the Virgin Islands to issue bonds in anticipation of reve-
nue receipts and to authorize the guarantee of such bonds
by the United States under specified conditions, and for
other purposes’’, approved August 19, 1976 (48 U.S.C.
1574c), is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘priority for payment’’ and in-
serting in lieu thereof ‘‘a parity lien with every other
HR 1332 RDS
issue of bonds or other obligations issued for pay-
ment’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘in the order of the date of
issue’’.
(b) APPLICATION.—The amendments made by this
section shall apply to obligations issued on or after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. COMMISSION ON THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby established
a Commission on the Economic Future of the Virgin
Islands (hereafter in this section referred to as the
‘‘Commission’’). The Commission shall consist of six
members appointed by the President, two of whom
shall be selected from nominations made by the Gov-
ernor of the Virgin Islands. The President shall des-
ignate one of the members of the Commission to be
Chairman.
(2) SECRETARY OF INTERIOR EX OFFICIO MEM-
BER.—In addition to the six members appointed
under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Interior
shall be an ex-officio member of the Commission.
(3) MEMBERS
APPOINTED
BY
PRESIDENT.—
Members of the Commission appointed by the Presi-
HR 1332 RDS
dent shall be persons who by virtue of their back-
ground and experience are particularly suited to con-
tribute to achievement of the purposes of the Com-
mission.
(4) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Commis-
sion shall serve without compensation, but may be
reimbursed for travel, subsistence and other nec-
essary expenses incurred by them in the performance
of their duties.
(5) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Commis-
sion shall be filled in the same manner as the origi-
nal appointment was made.
(b) PURPOSE AND REPORT.—
(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Commission
is to make recommendations to the President and
Congress on the policies and actions necessary to
provide for a secure and self-sustaining future for
the local economy of the Virgin Islands through
2020 and on the role of the Federal Government. In
developing 
recommendations, 
the 
Commission
shall—
(A) solicit and analyze information on pro-
jected private sector development and shifting
tourism trends based on alternative forecasts of
HR 1332 RDS
economic, political, and social conditions in the
Caribbean;
(B) analyze capital infrastructure, edu-
cation, social, health, and environmental needs
in light of these alternative forecasts; and
(C) assemble relevant demographic, eco-
nomic, and revenue and expenditure data from
over the past 25 years.
(2) RECOMMENDATIONS
AND
REPORT.—The
recommendations of the Commission shall be trans-
mitted to the President, the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the United States Senate
and the Committee on Resources of the United
States House of Representatives no later than June
30, 1998. The report shall set forth the basis for the
recommendations and include an analysis of the ca-
pability of the Virgin Islands to meet projected
needs based on reasonable alternative economic, po-
litical, and social conditions in the Caribbean, in-
cluding the expansion in the near future of Cuba to
trade, tourism, and development.
(c) POWERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may—
HR 1332 RDS
(A) hold such hearings, sit and act at such
times and places, take such testimony and re-
ceive such evidence as it may deem advisable;
(B) use the United States mail in the same
manner and upon the same conditions as de-
partments and agencies of the United States;
and
(C) within available funds, incur such ex-
penses and enter into contracts or agreements
for studies and surveys with public and private
organizations and transfer funds to Federal
agencies to carry out the Commission’s func-
tions.
(2) TECHNICAL
AND
ADMINISTRATIVE
SUP-
PORT.—Within funds available for the Commission,
the Secretary of the Interior shall provide such office
space, furnishings, equipment, staff, and fiscal and
administrative services as the Commission may re-
quire.
(3) ASSISTANCE FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—
The President, upon request of the Commission,
may direct the head of any Federal agency or de-
partment to assist the Commission and if so directed
such head shall—
HR 1332 RDS
(A) furnish the Commission to the extent
permitted by law and within available appro-
priations such information as may be necessary
for carrying out the functions of the Commis-
sion and as may be available to or procurable
by such department or agency; and
(B) detail to temporary duty with the
Commission on a reimbursable basis such per-
sonnel within his administrative jurisdiction as
the Commission may need or believe to be use-
ful for carrying out its functions, each such de-
tail to be without loss of seniority, pay or other
employee status.
(d) CHAIRMAN.—Subject to general policies that the
Commission may adopt, the chairman of the Commission
shall be the chief executive officer of the Commission and
shall exercise its executive and administrative powers. The
chairman may make such provisions as he may deem ap-
propriate authorizing the performance of his executive and
administrative functions by the staff of the Commission.
(e) FUNDING.—The Department of the Interior is
authorized to provide up to $300,000 in each of the fiscal
years 1997 and 1998 in technical assistance funding for
the work of the Commission.
HR 1332 RDS
(f) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate
three months after the transmission of the report and rec-
ommendations under subsection (b)(2).
SEC. 5. REPEAL OF SEPARATE BALLOT REQUIREMENT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(a) of the Act entitled
‘‘An Act to provide that the unincorporated territories of
Guam and the Virgin Islands shall each be represented
in Congress by a Delegate to the House of Representa-
tives’’ approved April 10, 1972 (48 U.S.C. 1712(a)), is
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘, by separate ballot and’’; and
(2) by inserting after the second sentence the
following new sentence: ‘‘The Delegate representing
the Virgin Islands shall be elected by separate bal-
lot.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
subsection (a) shall take effect January 1, 1997.
SEC. 6. INSULAR FUNDING CLARIFICATION.
The second sentence of subsection (a) of section 703
of the Northern Mariana Islands Covenant, as contained
in section 1 of Public Law 94–241 (48 U.S.C. 1801 note),
shall be construed as if ‘‘of the Government of the North-
ern Mariana Islands’’ were stricken.