Puerto Rican people choose to do. I don't have any Puerto Rican constituency, but I have some great friends there whom I served with in the U.S. Marine Corps; I still visit with them when they come to Washington every year, and they are wonderful people.

But I don't have a specific position, because I believe in the American foreign policy of self-determination. If they choose to be independent, I will be one of their strongest backers. If they choose to become a State, I will be one of their strongest backers, and so on. We wish you a lot of good luck.

Mr. MOAKLEY. Any questions?

Mr. PASHAYAN. I have no questions. I found your remarks very interesting.

Mr. MOAKLEY. Thank you very much, Congressman Serrano.

We have a vote on. We will recess and come back after the vote, and by that time we should have a quorum, and then it is the intention of the Chair to vote it out of subcommittee into the full committee.

So the Subcommittee on Rules will be in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

[A brief recess was taken.]

MARKUP OF H.R. 4765

Mr. MOAKLEY. The Subcommittee on Rules will come to order. Please be seated.

A quorum of the subcommittee is now present. The Chair will entertain a motion from the gentlelady from New York, Mrs. Slaughter.

Mrs. SLAUGHTER. I move to report H.R. 4765 favorably to the full committee with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, which is before the members. The amendment is identical to the text approved by the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

Mr. MOAKLEY. You have heard the motion. Any discussion?

Any amendment?

If not, on the motion, all those in favor say aye.
Opposed, no.

The ayes have it, the motion is adopted.

Just for the edification of the public, that concludes the subcommittee's consideration. I want to thank all those testifying for the outstanding job they did in portraying the entire spectrum of issues, and thanks to the officials who are in the audience and were so interested making their feelings known to the subcommittee and also to the chairman.

I have been advised by counsel we have to prepare a committee report, so we won't be able to take up the bill today in the full committee, but we will take it up. We will do it as soon as the report is finished, early next week.

The Subcommittee on Rules will now adjourn.

[Whereupon, at 10:25 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned, subject to the call of the Chair.]

[The text of the amendment adopted by the Subcommittee on Rules is as follows:]

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 4765

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following:

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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This Act may be cited as the 'Puerto Rico

Self-Determination Act ́ ́.

SEC. 2. REFERENDUM ON STATUS OPTIONS.

(a) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated
$13,500,000 to the Executive Office of the President for

grants to the State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico for a
referendum which is to be held on September 16, 1991, or on a
later date in 1991 agreed to by a majority of the members of
the Dialogue Committee on the Status of Puerto Rico
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Dialogue
Committee ́ ́), as established by executive order of the

13 Governor of Puerto Rico on June 29, 1989, on the following 14 question:

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Which political status do you favor for the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico on terms to be consented to

by the people of Puerto Rico and the Congress of the

United States?

independence;

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statehood;

a new commonwealth relationship; or

none of the above statuses.

(b)(1) of the amount authorized to be appropriated by subsection (a), the State Elections Commission is authorized

to-

(A) expend $7,500,000 for costs of conducting the referendum, including $1,500,000 to facilitate the participation of Puerto Ricans not resident in Puerto Rico in the referendum as authorized pursuant to section 3(c); and

(B) disburse $6,000,000 to the Dialogue Committee to be expended for the purpose of informing the people of Puerto Rico regarding the three status options, such amount to be equally divided among Puerto Rico's principal parties.

(2) Funds appropriated under paragraph (1) shall be made available for the necessary expenses, including the travel and transportation of persons, services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, communications, utilities, printing and reproduction, supplies and materials and other related services, and administrative costs.

(3) To be eligible to receive payments under paragraph (1) (B), a recipient shall-

(A) agree not to incur expenses related to the

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referendum in excess of amounts established by the

electoral laws of Puerto Rico for expenditures by the parties in general elections as of September 19, 1990;

(B) agree to keep complete records as to receipts and expenditures related to informing the people of Puerto Rico regarding the status question and furnish to the State Elections Commission such information as it may request; and

(C) agree to financial audits and examinations of such funds by the Comptroller General of the United States.

(4) Under such regulations as the Comptroller General of

the United States shall prescribe, the Comptroller General 14 shall audit and examine transactions made with funds made

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(c) The referendum shall be conducted pursuant to the laws of Puerto Rico.

(d) Those Federal laws that apply to the election of the 19 Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico shall, if appropriate, 20 also apply to the referendum. Any reference in such Federal

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laws to elections shall be considered, where appropriate, to be a reference to the referendum, and any reference in such laws to candidates for office shall be considered, where

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appropriate, to be a reference to the political status

25 options under the referendum.

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SEC. 3. NONRESIDENT PUERTO RICANS.

(a) The Congress finds that-

(1) a substantial number of the Puerto Rican people reside outside of Puerto Rico; and

(2) the Government of Puerto Rico has the authority to enable some Puerto Ricans who are United States citizens residing in places other than Puerto Rico to vote in the referendum.

(b) The Congress hereby authorizes the Government of 10 Puerto Rico, subject to the plan referred to in subsection (c), to enable Puerto Ricans not resident in Puerto Rico to 12 register and vote in the referendum without being present in 13 Puerto Rico. Such persons may include those born in Puerto Rico or those who have at least one parent who was born in Puerto Rico.

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(c) The Dialogue Committee is authorized to submit to the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico for its ratification a

18 plan agreed to by a majority of the members of such committee

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to accomplish the purposes authorized by subsection (b). Once so ratified, such plan shall have the force of law.

(d) In the event that any provision of this Act is held 22 invalid, or the Dialogue Committee does not submit a plan, or 23 the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico fails to ratify such plan not later than 120 days before the referendum, it is the 25 intent of Congress that the remaining provisions of this Act

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