Date: 1982-04-01
Speaker: WON PAT (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. in a preliminary report on Alaskas experience to date as a member of the Union. the Alaska Statehood Commission made pointed comments recently about the current status of the territories. They are comments which should remind Members of this House of our stilltobefulfilled obligations to assist the nearly 4 million Americans of the territories determine their political future. Let me quote briefly: The nonstate possessions languish in a political limbo. . . each suffers because its residents ... cannot vote in piesidential elections. . . territorial and commonwealth status remain forms of secondclass citizenship dominated by the Federal Government. I cannot dispute this conclusion. Neither can I disagree with the commissions finding that. "problems of each (territory) rank low in what interests Washington. D.C.. on a daily basis." But this does not mean that territorial Americans have made no progress in our efforts to obtain firstclass citizenship or attention to our current unequal status. Through the efforts of such visionary leaders such as PunLIP BURTON. recent years have witnessed tremendous strides in territorial political development. Unfortunately. this administration has shown little interest in continuing this record. Our islands are in a state of political limbo because this administration has no territorial political development policy. They have not followed up on the last administrations initiative for a procedure for territorial political development. an invitation to discuss Federalterritorial relations for the first time on an equitable basis. Only such discussions can lead to a final resolution of the problems inherent in an undefined Federalterritorial relationship. Only mutual agreements of the sort embodied in the Covenant to Establish the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands can answer the questions raised by uncertain status. A first step would be for the administration to tell the people of the territories how it proposes we can continue to develop politically. This requires more than the President Indicating a preference for a particular status future for a particular territory. the way the administration responded to the legitimate aspirations of the people of Puerto Rico. A second step would -be for the administration to expand its internal review of the applicability or nonapplicability of existing Federal laws to Guam. the Virgin Islands and American Samoa to include participation of the territories affected themselves and the Congress which would have to make necessary amendments. Support of my bill. H.R. 5688. would accomplish this. It would establish a Presidential commission similar to that which is evaluating Federal laws applying to the Northern Mariana Islands. The comprehensive survey I have proposed could once and for all provide the justification for ending discrimination in those Federal programs which treat territorial Americans unfairly and the restraint on our economic growth imposed by other Federal laws which are applied to us indiscriminately. As the Alaska study notes. despite the difficulties we face. "the citizens of the nonstate possessions maintain strong loyalty to this country." We are understandably tired. though. of waiting for the administration to decide how it wants to respond to our desires to achieve firstclass citizenship.