S-2050.1                   _______________________________________________

                                   SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8009

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Trade, Technology & Economic Development (originally sponsored by Senators Bluechel, Snyder, Sellar, Skratek, M. Rasmussen, Erwin, Gaspard, Fraser, McDonald, Franklin, Winsley and Oke)

Read first time 03/01/93.

Supporting Guam in its quest for commonwealth status.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE GOVERNOR OF GUAM, AND TO THE SPEAKER OF THE GUAM LEGISLATURE, AND TO THE GUAM DELEGATE TO CONGRESS:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The cause of democracy around the world is the cause of the United States; and

          WHEREAS, The United States extends self-determination especially to those peoples in territories under its jurisdiction; and

          WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature supports the efforts of each United States territory to attain the political status best suited to its people; and

          WHEREAS, Guam became a territory of the United States in the last century without its people being given the opportunity to freely choose a political status; and

          WHEREAS, Guam became an organized territory of the United States in 1950 with the signing of the Organic Act; and

          WHEREAS, During the past two decades, neighbor island groups in the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands have successfully negotiated new political status arrangements with the United States, which have resulted in the formation of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Belau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia; and

          WHEREAS, The people of Guam chose by plebiscite in 1976 the political status of commonwealth; and

          WHEREAS, After extensive public debate, the people of Guam ratified the draft Guam Commonwealth Act in 1987; and

          WHEREAS, The Guam Commonwealth Act will be debated in the United States Congress; and

          WHEREAS, The people of Guam are United States citizens and should be given all the rights of citizens under the United States Constitution; and

          WHEREAS, Guam seeks to establish through commonwealth status a just political relationship between its people and the United States government; and

          WHEREAS, Commonwealth status would provide for the rights of the people of Guam in areas of vital interest, including land use, immigration, taxation, and the applicability of federal laws constraining Guam development; and

          WHEREAS, There is growing national support for commonwealth status for Guam, including policy statements and resolutions from members of Congress, the federal administration, the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Western Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments, and the United States Conference of Mayors; and

          WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature supports the efforts of the people of Guam to achieve commonwealth status within a just and permanent relationship with the United States;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States government allow the people of Guam to determine their own political, social, and economic future.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the Governor of Guam, the Speaker of the Guam Legislature, the Guam delegate to Congress, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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