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Puerto Rico Status Hearing Committee on Resources

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Puerto Rico Status Hearing Committee on Resources PUERTO RICO STATUS HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 856 A BILL TO PROVIDE A PROCESS LEADING TO FULL SELF- GOVERNMENT FOR PUERTO RICO MARCH 19, 1997ÐWASHINGTON, DC Serial No. 105±16 Printed for the use of the Committee on Resources ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 40±445 u WASHINGTON : 1997 COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES DON YOUNG, Alaska, Chairman W.J. (BILLY) TAUZIN, Louisiana GEORGE MILLER, California JAMES V. HANSEN, Utah EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts JIM SAXTON, New Jersey NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia ELTON GALLEGLY, California BRUCE F. VENTO, Minnesota JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan JOEL HEFLEY, Colorado PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon JOHN T. DOOLITTLE, California ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland Samoa KEN CALVERT, California NEIL ABERCROMBIE, Hawaii RICHARD W. POMBO, California SOLOMON P. ORTIZ, Texas BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming OWEN B. PICKETT, Virginia HELEN CHENOWETH, Idaho FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey LINDA SMITH, Washington CALVIN M. DOOLEY, California GEORGE P. RADANOVICH, California CARLOS A. ROMERO-BARCELOÂ , Puerto WALTER B. JONES, JR., North Carolina Rico WILLIAM M. (MAC) THORNBERRY, Texas MAURICE D. HINCHEY, New York JOHN SHADEGG, Arizona ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD, Guam JOHN E. ENSIGN, Nevada SAM FARR, California ROBERT F. SMITH, Oregon PATRICK J. KENNEDY, Rhode Island CHRIS CANNON, Utah ADAM SMITH, Washington KEVIN BRADY, Texas WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts JOHN PETERSON, Pennsylvania CHRIS JOHN, Louisiana RICK HILL, Montana DONNA CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Virgin Islands BOB SCHAFFER, Colorado NICK LAMPSON, Texas JIM GIBBONS, Nevada RON KIND, Wisconsin MICHAEL D. CRAPO, Idaho LLOYD A. JONES, Chief of Staff ELIZABETH MEGGINSON, Chief Counsel CHRISTINE KENNEDY, Chief Clerk/Administrator JOHN LAWRENCE, Democratic Staff Director (II) C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held March 19, 1997 ................................................................................. 1 Text of H.R. 856 ....................................................................................................... Statement of Members: Burton, Hon. Dan, a U.S. Representative from Indiana ............................... 00 Christian-Green, Hon. Donna, a U.S. Delegate from the Virgin Islands ..... 00 Deutsch, Hon. Peter, a U.S. Representative from Florida ............................ 00 Gutierrez, Hon. Luis, a U.S. Representative from Illinois ............................ 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... Lagomarsino, Hon. Robert J., a U.S. Representative from California ......... 00 McCollum, Hon. Bill, a U.S. Representative from Florida ............................ 00 Miller, Hon. George, a U.S. Representative from California ........................ 00 Romero-BarceloÂ, Hon. Carlos A., a U.S. Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico .................................................................................................... 00 Serrano, Hon. JoseÂ, a U.S. Representative from New York .......................... 00 VelaÂzquez, Hon. Nydia, a U.S. Representative from New York ................... 00 Young, Hon. Don, a U.S. Representative from Alaska; and Chairman, Committee on Resources .............................................................................. 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... Statement of Witnesses: Acevedo-VilaÂ, Anibal, President of the Popular Democreatic Party ............. 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... BerrõÂos-Martinez, Ruben, President of Puerto Rican Independence Party . 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... Farrow, Jeffrey L., Co-Chair, The President's Administration Working Group on Puerto Rico ................................................................................... 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... FerreÂ, Luis, President of the New Progressive Party .................................... 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... RosselloÂ, Pedro, Governor of Puerto Rico ....................................................... 00 Prepared statement ................................................................................... Zeder, Fred M., II, Rancho Mirage, CA (prepared statement) ...................... 00 Additional material supplied: Administration Shelves Plan To Give Guam More Autonomy, by Peter Baker (Washington Post) .............................................................................. 00 Hill Panels to Probe China Influence Buying Allegations, by Robert Suro (Washington, Post) ........................................................................................ 00 House Concurrent Resolution 2 (PR) .............................................................. 00 Introducrion of the United States-Puerto Rico Political Status ActÐHon. Don Young (Congressional Record) ............................................................. 00 Letters between Clinton, Young could bode ill for `bilateral' pact, by Robert Friedman (STAR Washington Bureau) ........................................... 00 Memorandum on the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, George Bush ............ 00 Oversight Plan for the 105th Congress, Committee on Resources, and Legislative History ........................................................................................ 00 Press Releases of Committee on Resources .................................................... 00 Puerto Rico's New Self-governing Status (Dept. of State Bulletin ............... 00 Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly (UN) at its Eighth Session 00 Resolutions from the Popular Democratic Party ........................................... 00 Signs of Policy Shift on Status of Guam Appeared After Contributions to Democrats, by John Pomfret (Washington Post) ................................... 00 Summary of the United States-Puerto Rico Political Act ............................. 00 Updated United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act, by Hon. Don Young (Congressional Record) ..................................................................... 00 (III) IV Page Additional material suppliedÐContinued Zeder, Fred M., II: Understanding Free Association as a Form of Separate Sovereignty and Political Independence in the Case of Decolonization of Puerto Rico ................................................................................................ 00 Communications submitted: Clinton, President Bill: Letter of January 21, 1997, to Chairman Don Young ............................................................................................................. 00 Romero-BarceloÂ, Hon. Carlos, and Hon. Robert A. Underwood: Letter to Hon. William J. Clinton dated January 13, 1997 .................................. 00 Young, Hon. Don: Letter to Hon. William Jefferson Clintom of December 11, 1996 .......................................................................................................... 00 UNITED STATES-PUERTO RICO POLITICAL STATUS ACT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1997 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:07 a.m. in room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Don Young (Chair- man of the Committee) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The Committee will come to order. It is a pleasure to welcome the witnesses here today as the Com- mittee on Resources considers H.R. 856, the U.S.-Puerto Rico Polit- ical Status Act. I am going to ask the audience if you would please try to restrain yourselves. This is going to be a hearing that may take a great deal of time. I want to offer as much courtesy as I can to the witnesses who appear today. STATEMENT OF THE HON. DON YOUNG, A U.S. REPRESENTA- TIVE FROM ALASKA; AND CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON RE- SOURCES The CHAIRMAN. Today, we begin an important part of the con- gressional consideration of legislation to resolve Puerto Rico's polit- ical status by hearing from some of our colleagues in the House, the Governor of Puerto Rico, leaders of the three political parties of Puerto Rico and the Clinton Administration. Last month, the top leader of the Puerto Rico Legislature pre- sented copies of House Concurrent Resolution 2 asking the Con- gress to authorize a political status referendum to be held before the end of 1998. This legislation responds to the legislature's re- quest to provide the necessary framework leading to full self-gov- ernment for Puerto Rico. I thank the witnesses from Puerto Rico for traveling to Wash- ington to personally present their views on this legislation to the Committee. Your views today, and others later in Puerto Rico, are a crucial part of development of final legislation to resolve Puerto Rico's political status. Next month, the Committee will go to San Juan and Mayaguez to hear from the people of Puerto Rico. We will start today's hearings with a Members panel, whose com- ments I know will be very helpful to the Committee. I want to mention that the Committee has received a statement regarding this legislation and Puerto Rico's political status from a former (1) 2 member of this Committee, Bob Lagomarsino. I would like to ask unanimous consent to submit his comments. [Statement
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