Jon L. Christensen: “Madam Speaker, I rise as a representative of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, proud Americans who willingly and…”

“Madam Speaker, I rise as a representative of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, proud Americans who willingly and gladly serve this country in every way, including the ultimate sacrifice, as I have said on two occasions on this floor this morning, and who only seek the fullest representation possible under the Constitution of the United States, and that is purely and simply what H.R. 78 does. I thank the Democratic leadership, Mr. Hastings, and my colleagues for their support. Just as it did in 1992, the rule granting Delegates the right to vote in the Committee of the Whole includes a mechanism which provided for an automatic revote in the full House of any of the amendments which passed or failed by a margin that included the votes of the Delegates. That rule and procedure was tested in Federal court and was upheld as constitutional. While this is less than perfect, as is often said, we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, or, I add, the enemy of what is the right thing to do.”