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Bg LEGISLATION ESTAB LISHING SELECT Co MMITTEE ON STATU S AND FEDERAL RELATIONS 1984 YURCE 4) Resolution No. 1132 (Bill 15 0388), Virgin Islands Session Laws, 477- 480 Bye es ier +! 341 (Bill 15-0388) No. 1132 (Passed February 7, 1984) To Determine the Status of the Virgin Islands, To Create Within the Legislature of the Virgin Islands a Select Committee on Status and Federal Relations and to Propose a Compact of Federal Relations Between the Virgin Islands and the United States of America. WHEREAS the Virgin Islands by the terms of the Revised Organic Act of 1954, as amended, has been an unincorporated territory of the United States of America; and WHEREAS Public Law 94-584, enacted October 21, 1976, authorized the people of the Virgin Islands to adopt their own constitution for local self-government and specified that the constitution must be drafted “within the existing territorial-federal relationship”; and WHEREAS the Virgin Islands Status Commission was created by Bill No. 13- 0570 (Act No. 4462), enacted August 5, 1980, to negotiate the relationship of the Virgin Islands of the United States of America and to provide for popular ratification of a Territorial Relationship; and WHEREAS the Status Commission is presently defunct and recommendations have been made by members of the Commission that it be abolished; and WHEREAS two constitutions drafted in accordance with the Congressional legislation were rejected by the people of the Virgin Islands in March 1979, and November 1981; and WHEREAS on November 2, 1982, the following questions were put to the Virgin Islands electorate in a referendum: (a) Should the Virgin Islands have a Constitution? and (b) Should the status of the Virgin Islands be decided before a constitution is drafted?; and WHEREAS a majority of the voters who participated in the November 2, 1982, referendum voted “yes” on both questions; and WHEREAS the United States, as a charter member of the United Nations, is required to foster greater self-government and self-determination for the people of the Virgin Islands; and WHEREAS under the Constitution of the United States, the only real status choices are statehood, independence and territory (incorporated and unincorporated with varying degrees of internal self-government and economic benefits); and 342 WHEREAS unless the Virgin Islands becomes a state of the United States or an independent nation, it will continue to be a territory of the United States; and WHEREAS the people of the Northern Marianas are not U.S. citizens, but nevertheless negotiated a “Covenant” with the United States which was subsequently approved by Congress; and WHEREAS there are many problem areas with the present Virgin Islands- federal relationship; and WHEREAS the Executive and Judicial branches of the Federal Government have denied the Virgin Islands Government access to the excise taxes collected on WHEREAS the People of the Virgin Islands have no voting representation in Congress, therefore, federalization of the Virgin Islands Income Tax System would amount to taxation without representation and is repugnant to the American system of democratic government: and WHEREAS no attempt should be made to enter into Virgin Islands-United States status talks or negotiations of federal relations issues until the people of the Virgin Islands determine by secret ballot their desired future Political status or federal relations changes; Now, Therefore, Be it resolved by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: (b) Within 15 days after the approval of this resolution, the President shall appoint the members of the Select Committee and designate a chairman and vice- chairman. (c) The Select Committee shall conduct extensive public information programs, forums, panel discussions and consultations throughout the Virgin Islands to enable the people of the Virgin Islands to express their views regarding the ultimate political 343 seeps pals {Ny a es b= aS ikeve ers oeey Status of the Virgin Islands or desired changes in the Virgin Islands-federal relations. (d) The Select Committee shall invite representatives of business, labor, civiel and professional Organizations, and interested residents to submit Position Papers, 7 analyses, letters and other written statements outlining their positions on the various issues. q (1) A proposed “Compact of Federal Relations between the United States Virgin Islands and the United States of America” which shall be comprehensive jn nature and cover the entire range of the relationship, including application of federa| constitutional provisions, treaties and laws in the Virgin Islands, jurisdiction of federal courts in the Virgin Islands and their relationship to the courts of the Virgin Islands, representation of the people of the Virgin Islands in Congress, and removal of the Interior Department's oversight responsibilities with respect to the Virgin Islands; (3) An outline of a Program of public information and education to be the S undertaken by the Select Committee should its recommendations be approved by the Legislature. Passed February 7, 1984.