A bill to amend the Organic Act of Guam, the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, and the Compact of Free Association Act, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Committee Hearings Held.
Amends the Compact of Free Association Act of 1985 to: (1) extend, upon request of the Government of the Marshall Islands, certain agricultural and food assistance programs for the Bikini and Enewetak people, for another five years; and (2) ensure that the commodities provided reflect the population changes that have occurred since the effective date of the Compact. (Sec. 2) Amends the Organic Act of Guam to provide that an absence of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor from the territory while on official business shall not be a "temporary absence" involving a surrender of authority and power. (Sec. 3) Makes technical changes to the Education Amendments of 1972 with respect to Territorial Land Grant Colleges (thus providing separate land grant status to the College of Micronesia-FSM, the College of the Marshall Islands, and the Palau Community College). Requires that the land grant trust fund amount attributable to a specified appropriation authorized for Micronesia be divided equally among the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau for the benefit of the College of the Marshall Islands, the College of Micronesia-FSM, and the Palau Community College. (Sec. 4) Provides for transfer of Federal excess real property by the Administrator of General Services to the Government of Guam, with specified exceptions. (Sec. 5) Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safety Streets Act of 1968 to extend State treatment with respect to certain drug enforcement programs to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (Sec. 6) Amends the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands to provide that: (1) an absence of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor from the territory while on official business shall not be a "temporary absence" involving a surrender of authority and power; and (2) Virgin Islands revenue bonds, instead of the current priority for payment, shall have a parity lien with every other subsequently issued obligation. Authorizes the Virgin Islands legislature to issue short-term (one-year) notes in anticipation of the collection of taxes and revenues for the current fiscal year. (Sec. 7) Establishes the Commission on the Economic Future of the Virgin Islands to make recommendations to the President and the Congress on policies and actions for a secure and self-sustaining future for the local economy of the Virgin Islands through 2020, as well as the Federal role in providing for that future. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 8) Authorizes the Governor of any U.S. territory or commonwealth or the State of Hawaii to report annually to the Secretary of the Interior with respect to the impact of the compact on them. (Currently the President is required to report on such impacts to the Congress.) Directs the Secretary to provide for a census of Micronesians every five years after each decennial U.S. census for each of the impact areas. (Sec. 9) Amends the Housing Community Development Act of 1980 to make a lawful resident alien of the United States and its territories and possessions (including the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) eligible for certain housing assistance. (Sec. 10) American Samoa Development Act of 1997 - Establishes the Commission on the Economic Future of American Samoa to make recommendations to the President and the Congress on policies and actions for a secure and self-sustaining future for the local economy of American Samoa through 2020, as well as the Federal role in providing for that future. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 11) Amends Federal law to make subject to appropriations the Secretary of the Interior's mandate to station at least one professional staff person to provide Federal program coordination in each of the Offices of the U.S. Representatives in the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Increases the limit on annual expenditures for projects on Kili or Ejit as part of rehabilitation and resettlement of the Bikini Atoll. Provides for annual adjustments of such amount based on fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate amended" stage on June 12, 1997. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 29, 1997: Committee Hearings Held.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 105th Congress (1997-98), 394 of the 7,729 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 5.1 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
FRANK MURKOWSKI (R-AK) introduced it on January 28, 1997, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 28, 1997, 10817 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 10543 days ago, on October 29, 1997.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 105th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1999 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers