The House Resources Committee will take testimony Wednesday from Gov. Charles Turnbull, among others, on constitutional self-government for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
Bill HR 3999 was introduced by committee chair Don Young (R-Alaska) in March and seeks to clarify the process for the adoption of local constitutional self-government by the two territories.
Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen and Guam’s representative, Eni Faleomavaega, are cosponsors of the bill. Scheduled to testify on behalf of the Virgin Islands are Turnbull, Senate president Vargrave Richards, Independent Citizens Movement chair Raymond "Usie" Richards and Republican National Committee member Holland Redfield.
According to a release from Christensen's Washington office, the hearing will be broadcast live on the committee web site, www.house.gov/resources, "immediately following a legislative markup at 11 a.m."
Christensen said that as far as the Virgin Islands goes, Young’s aim is to enable locals to make changes to the three branches of government that now must be approved by Congress, such as reducing the size of the local Senate.
"He wants to make it a clean and efficient process," Christensen said.
Although Congress established a process in 1976 for the V.I. and Guam to advance local self-government by the adoption of constitutions, neither territory has done so. In the absence of a constitution, any proposed change to the Virgin Islands Revised Organic must be approved by Congress.
"Right now we are governed by an act of Congress; so, it takes an act of Congress to change things," Christensen said. "A constitution would mean we don’t have to come back to Congress to amend the laws that govern us."
A draft constitution would have to pass muster in the House to make sure it is consistent with the sovereignty of the United States; that it provides for a republican form of government consisting of executive, legislative, and judicial branches; that it contains a bill of rights; and that it provides for the establishment of municipal or county government, according to the bill now before Congress.
Christensen said constantly taking "piecemeal" Organic Act amendments to Congress when there is an avenue to address the issues through a constitution doesn’t reflect positively on the territory.
"It doesn’t show the level of maturity of governance the territory should be showing at this time," she said. "When are we going to take the bull by the horns and decide how we want to be governed?"
Legislation on calling a constitutional convention is before the 23rd Legislature. Meanwhile, the establishment of "local constitutional self-government pursuant to this Act shall not preclude or prejudice the further exercise in the future by the people of Guam or the Virgin Islands of the right of self-determination regarding the ultimate political status of either such territory," the federal bill states.
