(3) Interior Appropriations for Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

Partial text of Public Law 103-332 [Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1995; H.R. 4602], 108 Stat. 2499, approved September 30, 1994

AN ACT Making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1995, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1995, and for other purposes, namely:

TITLE I-DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

For expenses necessary for the administration of territories under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, $80,239,000 of which (1) $75,962,000 shall be available until expended for technical assistance, including maintenance assistance, disaster assistance, drug interdiction and abuse prevention, insular management controls, and brown tree snake control and research; grants to the judiciary in American Samoa for compensation and expenses, as authorized by law (48 U.S.C. 1661(c)); grants to the Government of American Samoa, in addition to current local revenues, for construction and support of governmental functions; grants to the Government of the Virgin Islands as authorized by law; grants to the Government of Guam, as authorized by law; and grants to the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands as authorized by law (Public Law 94-241; 90 Stat. 272); and (2) $4,277,000 shall be available for salaries and expenses of the Office of Territorial and International Affairs: Provided, That all financial transactions of the territorial and local governments herein provided for, including such transactions of all agencies or instrumentalities established or utilized by such governments, may be audited by the General Accounting Office, at its discretion, in accordance with chapter 35 of title 31, United States Code: Provided further, That Northern Mariana Islands Covenant grant funding shall be provided according to those terms of the Agreement of the Special Representatives on Future United States Financial Assistance for the Northern Mariana Islands approved by Public Law 99-396, or any subsequent legislation related to Commonwealth of the

Northern Mariana Islands Covenant grant funding, except that should the Secretary of the Interior believe that the performance standards of such agreement are not being met, operations funds may be withheld, but only by Act of Congress as required by Public Law 99-396: Provided further, That $1,025,000 of the amounts provided for technical assistance shall be available for a grant to the Close Up Foundation: Provided further, That the funds for the program of operations and maintenance improvement are appropriated to institutionalize routine operations and maintenance of capital infrastructure in American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia through assessments of long-range operations and maintenance needs, improved capability of local operations and maintenance institutions and agencies (including management and vocational education training), and project-specific maintenance (with territorial participation and cost sharing to be determined by the Secretary based on the individual territory's commitment to timely maintenance of its capital assets): Provided further, That any appropriation for disaster assistance under this head in this Act or previous appropriations Acts may be used as non-Federal matching funds for the purpose of hazard mitigation grants provided pursuant to section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c).

TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

For expenses necessary for the Department of the Interior in administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands pursuant to the Trusteeship Agreement approved by joint resolution of July 18, 1947 (61 Stat. 397), and the Act of June 30, 1954 (68 Stat. 330), as amended (90 Stat. 299; 91 Stat. 1159; 92 Stat. 495), and grants to the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, in addition to local revenues, for support of governmental functions, $19,838,000 to be available until expended, including $18,464,000 for operations of the Government of Palau: Provided, That all financial transactions of the Trust Territory, including such transactions of all agencies or instrumentalities established or utilized by such Trust Territory, may be audited by the General Accounting Office, at its discretion, in accordance with chapter 35 of title 31, United States Code: Provided further, That all Government operations funds appropriated and obligated for the Republic of Palau under this account for fiscal year 1995, except for $692,000 for special programs, shall be credited as an off-set against fiscal year 1995 payments made pursuant to the Compact of Free Association (Public Law 99-658), if such Compact is implemented before October 1, 1995: Provided further, That not less than $300,000 of the grants to the Republic of Palau, for support of governmental functions, shall be dedicated to the College of Micronesia in accordance with the agreement between the Micronesian entities.

e. Ryukyu Claims Settlement Act

Public Law 89-296 [S.J. Res. 32], 79 Stat. 1071, approved October 27, 1965

JOINT RESOLUTION To authorize a contribution to certain inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands for death and injury to persons and for use of and damage to private property, arising from acts and omissions of the United States Armed Forces, or members thereof, after August 15, 1945, and before April 28, 1952.

Whereas certain persons of the Ryukyu Islands suffered damages incident to the activities of the Armed Forces of the United States, or members thereof, after the surrender of Japanese forces in the Ryukyus on August 15, 1945, and before the effective date of the Treaty of Peace with Japan on April 28, 1952; Whereas article 19 of the Treaty of Peace with Japan extinguished the legal liability of the United States for any claims of Japanese nationals, including Ryukyuans, with the result that the United States has made no compensation for the above-mentioned damages (except for use of and damage to land during the period from July 1, 1950 to April 28, 1952);

Whereas it is particularly consonant with the concern of the United States, as the sole administering authority in the Ryukyu Islands, for the welfare of the Ryukyuan people, that those Ryukyuans who suffered damages incident to the activities of the United States Armed Forces, or members thereof, should be compensated therefor;

Whereas payment of ex gratia compensation, by advancing the welfare of the Ryukyuan people, will promote the security interest, foreign policy, and foreign relations of the United States; and Whereas the High Commissioner of the Ryukyu Islands has considered the evidence regarding these claims, and has determined, in an equitable manner, those claims which are meritorious, and the amounts thereof: Therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the United States should make an ex gratia contribution to the persons (excluding municipalities) determined by the High Commissioner of the Ryukyu Islands to be meritorious claimants, in the amounts determined by him, and that the Secretary of the Army or his_designee should, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, pay such amounts to the claimants or their legal heirs, as a civil function of the Department of the Army; and be it further Resolved, That no funds appropriated under this joint resolution shall be disbursed to satisfy claims, or portions thereof, which have been satisfied by contributions made by the Government of Japan.

Sec. 2. There is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $22,000,0001 to carry out the provisions of this joint resolution, which funds are authorized to remain available for two years from the effective date of their appropriation. Any funds unobligated by the end of that period shall be covered into the Treasury of the United States.

Sec. 3. No remuneration on account of services rendered on behalf of any claimant in connection with any claim shall exceed 5 per centum of the total amount paid, pursuant to the provisions of this joint resolution, or such claim; except that no remuneration on account of such services rendered on behalf of any association of claimants by any agent or attorney (including organizations thereof) shall exceed 1 per centum of the aggregate amount so paid on the claims involved. Fees already paid for such services shall be deducted from the amounts authorized under this joint resolution. Any agreement to the contrary shall be unlawful and void. Whoever, in the United States or elsewhere, demands or receives, on account of services so rendered, any remuneration in excess of the maximum permitted by this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than twelve months, or both.

1Public Law 89-691 (80 Stat. 1018), approved Oct. 15, 1966, appropriated the amount "$21,040,000."

4. Compacts of Free Association and Related Legislation

a. Compact of Free Association Act of 1985

Public Law 99–239 [H.J. Res. 187], 99 Stat. 1770, approved January 14, 1986; as amended by Public Law 99-514 [Tax Reform Act of 1986; H.R. 3838], 100 Stat. 2085, approved October 22, 1986; Public Law 99-658 [H.J. Res. 626], 100 Stat. 3672, approved November 14, 1986; Public Law 102-247 [Omnibus Insular Areas Act of 1992; H.R. 2927], 106 Stat. 33, approved February 24, 1992; Public Law 102-486 [Energy Policy Act of 1992; H.R. 775], 106 Stat. 2776, approved October 24, 1992; Public Law 102-572 [Federal Courts Administration Act of 1992; S. 1569], 106 Stat. 4506, approved October 29, 1992; and by Public Law 102-583 [International Narcotics Control Act of 1992; H.R. 6187], 106 Stat. 4914, approved November 2, 1992 JOINT RESOLUTION To approve the "Compact of Free Association", and for other

purposes.

Whereas the United States, in accordance with the Trusteeship Agreement, and Charter of the United Nations and the objectives of the international trusteeship system, has promoted the development of the peoples of the Trust Territory toward self-government or independence as appropriate to the particular circumstances of the Trust Territory and its peoples and the freely expressed wishes of the people concerned; and

Whereas the United States, in response to the desires of the peoples of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands expressed through their freely-elected representatives and by the official pronouncements and enactments of their lawfully constituted governments, and in consideration of its own obligations under the Trusteeship Agreement to promote self-determination, entered into political status negotiations with representatives of the peoples of the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands; and

Whereas these negotiations resulted in the "Compact of Free Association" which, together with its related agreements, was signed by the United States and by the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands on October 1, 1982 and June 25, 1983, respectively; and

Whereas the Compact of Free Association was approved by majorities of the peoples of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands in United Nations-observed plebiscites conducted on June 21, 1983 and September 7, 1983, respectively; and Whereas the Compact of Free Association has been approved by the Governments of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands in accordance with their respective constitutional processes, thus completing fully for the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands their domestic approval processes with respect to the Compact as contemplated in Compact Section 411: Now, therefore, be it