106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 755
AN ACT
To establish the Guam War Claims Review
Commission.
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 755
AN ACT
To establish the Guam War Claims Review Commission.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Guam War Claims Re-
view Commission Act’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a
commission to be known as the ‘‘Guam War Claims Re-
view Commission’’ (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Com-
mission’’).
(b) MEMBERS.—The Commission shall be composed
of five members who by virtue of their background and
experience are particularly suited to contribute to the
achievement of the purposes of the Commission. The mem-
bers shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior
not later than 60 days after funds are made available for
this Act. Two of the members shall be selected as follows:
(1) One member appointed from a list of three
names submitted by the Governor of Guam.
(2) One member appointed from a list of three
names submitted by the Guam Delegate to the
United States House of Representatives.
(c) CHAIRPERSON.—The Commission shall select a
Chairman from among its members. The term of office
shall be for the life of the Commission.
(d) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Commission
shall not be paid for their service as members, but in the
performance of their duties, shall receive travel expenses,
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance
with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States
Code.
(e) VACANCY.—Any vacancy in the Commission shall
be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
SEC. 3. STAFF.
The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of an
executive director and other staff as it may require. The
executive director and other staff of the Commission may
be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5,
United States Code, governing appointments in the com-
petitive service, and may be paid without regard to the
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter II of chapter 53
of such title, relating to the classification and General
Schedule pay rates, except that the compensation of any
employees of the Commission may not exceed a rate equiv-
alent to the minimum rate of basic pay payable for GS–
15 of the General Schedule under section 5332(a) of such
title.
SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATIVE.
The Secretary of the Interior shall provide the Com-
mission, on a reimbursable basis, such administrative sup-
port services as the Commission may request.
SEC. 5. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.
The Commission shall—
(1) review the facts and circumstances sur-
rounding the implementation and administration of
the Guam Meritorious Claims Act and the effective-
ness of such Act in addressing the war claims of
American nationals residing on Guam between De-
cember 8, 1941, and July 21, 1944;
(2) review all relevant Federal and Guam terri-
torial laws, records of oral testimony previously
taken, and documents in Guam and the Archives of
the Federal Government regarding Federal pay-
ments of war claims in Guam;
(3) receive oral testimony of persons who per-
sonally experienced the taking and occupation of
Guam by Japanese military forces, noting especially
the effects of infliction of death, personal injury,
forced labor, forced march, and internment;
(4) determine whether there was parity of war
claims paid to the residents of Guam under the
Guam Meritorious Claims Act with war claims paid
to United States citizens or nationals who lived in or
had holdings in foreign countries and other posses-
sions of the United States occupied by the Japanese
during World War II;
(5) estimate the total amount necessary to com-
pensate the people of Guam for death, personal in-
jury, forced labor, forced march, and internment;
and
(6) not later than 9 months after the Commis-
sion is established submit a report, including any
comments or recommendations for action, to the
Secretary of the Interior, the Committee on Re-
sources and the Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on En-
ergy and Natural Resources and the Committee on
the Judiciary of the Senate.
SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.
Subject to general policies that the Commission may
adopt, the Chairman of the Commission—
(1) shall exercise the executive and administra-
tive powers of the Commission; and
(2) may delegate such powers to the staff of the
Commission.
SEC. 7. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.
The Commission shall terminate 30 days after sub-
mission of its report.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated $500,000 to
carry out this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives September 12,
2000.
Attest:
Clerk.