Political Quotes

“as you may understand, this bill is very important to me and to the people of Guam. I certainly want to thank all of those involved, especially the staff on both sides; the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young); and the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller). I thank the gentleman for the words of support, and I also want to publicly thank the staff for their work, on both sides, including Manase Mansur. This is shocking news to me, that he is departing the scene. But, in any event, as indicated, H.R. 2462 is omnibus legislation that is comprised of four distinct sections to address issues relevant to my home island. The legislation provides Guam the right of first refusal for the return of future lands currently in the possession of the Federal Government; allows the government to lower the withholding tax rates imposed on foreign investors in order to equal it to the treatment of States under U.S. treaties with other nations; provides a narrow interpretation for Guam to be included in the U.S. Customs Zone for the purpose of importing betel nuts for personal consumption; and authorizes the governors of the territories and the State of Hawaii to report to the Secretary of Interior on the financial and social impacts of the Compacts of Free Association on their respective jurisdictions. Mr. Speaker, as you can imagine, one of the most valuable resources to an island is land.…”