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which such person has the intention of returning whenever he is absent, even for an extended period.

B. FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA AND THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

(Public Law 99-239, January 14, 1986, Compact of Free Association Act of 1985)

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) SHORT TITLE.-This joint resolution, together with the Table of Contents in subsection (b) of this section, may be cited as the "Compact of Free Association Act of 1985".

TITLE I-APPROVAL OF COMPACT; INTERPRETATION OF, AND U.S.
POLICIES REGARDING, COMPACT; SUPPLEMENTAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 101. APPROVAL OF COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION.

(a) FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA.-The Compact of Free Association set forth in title II of this joint resolution between the United States and the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia is hereby approved, and Congress hereby consents to the subsidiary agreements as set forth on pages 115 through 391 of House Document 98-192 of March 30, 1984, as they relate to such Government. Subject to the provisions of this joint resolution, the President is authorized to agree, in accordance with section 411 of the Compact, to an effective date for and thereafter to implement such Compact, having taken into account any procedures with respect to the United Nations for termination of the Trusteeship Agreement.

(b) MARSHALL ISLANDS.-The Compact of Free Association set forth in title II of this joint resolution between the United States and the Government of the Marshall Islands is hereby approved, and Congress hereby consents to the subsidiary agreements as set forth on pages 115 through 391 of House Document 98-192 of March 30, 1984, as they relate to such Government. Subject to the provisions of this joint resolution, the President is authorized to agree, in accordance with section 411 of the Compact, to an effective date for and thereafter to implement such Compact, having taken into account any procedures with respect to the United Nations for termination of the Trusteeship Agreement.

(c) REFERENCE TO THE COMPACT.-Any reference in this joint resolution to "the Compact" shall be treated as a reference to the Compact of Free Association set forth in title II of this joint resolution.

(f) EFFECTIVE DATE. (1) The President shall not agree to an effective date for the Compact, as authorized by this section, until after certifying to Congress that the agreements described in section 102 and section 103 of this title have been concluded.

SEC. 104. INTERPRETATION OF AND UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION.

(b) IMMIGRATION.-The rights of a bona fide naturalized citizen of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia to enter the United States, to lawfully engage therein in occupations, and to establish residence therein as a non-immigrant, pursuant to the provisions of section 141(a)(3) of the Compact, shall not extend to any such naturalized citizen with respect to whom circumstances associated with the acquisition of the status of a naturalized citizen are such as to allow a reasonable inference, on the part of appropriate officials of the United States and subject to United States procedural requirements, that such naturalized status was acquired primarily in order to obtain such rights.

SEC. 108. TRANSITIONAL IMMIGRATION RULES.

(a) CITIZEN OF NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.-Any person who is a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands, as that term is defined in section 24(b) of the Act of December 8, 1983 (97 Stat. 1465), is considered a citizen of the United States for purposes of entry into, permanent residence, and employment in the United States and its territories and possessions.

(b) TERMINATION.-The provisions of this section shall cease to be effective when section 301 of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union With the United States (Public Law 94-241) becomes effective pursuant to section 1003(c) of the Covenant.

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(a) Any person in the following categories may enter into, lawfully engage in occupations, and establish residence as a nonimmigrant in the United States and its territories and possessions without regard to paragraphs (14), (20), and (26) of section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1182(a) (14), (20), and (26):

(1) a person who, on the day preceding the effective date of this Compact, is a citizen of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, as defined in Title 53 of the Trust Territory Code in force on January 1, 1979, and has become a citizen of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia;

(2) a person who acquires the citizenship of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia at birth, on or after the effective date of the respective Constitution;

(3) a naturalized citizen of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia who has been an actual resident there for not less than five years after attaining such naturalization and who holds a certificate of actual residence; or

(4) a person entitled to citizenship in the Marshall Islands by lineal descent whose name is included in a list to be furnished by the Government of the Marshall Islands to the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service and any descendants of such persons, provided that such person holds a certificate of lineal descent issued by the Government of the Marshall Islands. Such persons shall be considered to have the permission of the Attorney General of the United States to accept employment in the United States.

(b) The right of such persons to establish habitual residence in a territory or possession of the United States may, however, be subjected to nondiscriminatory limitations provided for:

(1) in statutes or regulations of the United States; or

(2) in those statutes or regulations of the territory or possession concerned which are authorized by the laws of the United States.

(c) Section 141(a) does not confer on a citizen of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia the right to establish the residence necessary for naturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act, or to petition for benefits for alien relatives under that Act. Section 141(a), however, shall not prevent a citizen of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia from otherwise acquiring such rights or lawful permanent resident alien status in the United States. Section 142

(a) Any citizen or national of the United States may enter into, lawfully engage in occupations, and reside in the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia, subject to the rights of those Governments to deny entry to or deport any such citizen or national as an undesirable alien. A citizen or national of the United States may establish habitual residence or domicile in the Marshall Islands or the

Federated States of Micronesia only in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which habitual residence or domicile is sought.

(b) With respect to the subject matter of this Section, the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia shall accord to citizens and nationals of the United States treatment no less favorable than that accorded to citizens of other countries; any denial of entry to or deportation of a citizen or national of the United States as an undesirable alien must be pursuant to reasonable statutory grounds.

Section 143

(a) The privileges set forth in Sections 141 and 142 shall not apply to any person who takes an affirmative step to preserve or acquire a citizenship or nationality other than that of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the United States.

(b) Every person having the privileges set forth in Sections 141 and 142 who possesses a citizenship or nationality other than that of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the United States ceases to have these privileges two years after the effective date of this Compact, or within six months after becoming 21 years of age, whichever comes later, unless such person executes an oath of renunciation of that other citizenship or nationality.

Section 144

(a) A citizen or national of the United States who, after notification to the Government of the United States of an intention to employ such person by the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia, commences employment with such Government shall not be deprived of his United States nationality pursuant to Section 349 (a)(2) and (a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1481 (a)(2) and (a)(4).

(b) Upon such notification by the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia, the Government of the United States may consult with or provide information to the notifying Government concerning the prospective employee, subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a.

(c) The requirement of prior notification shall not apply to those citizens or nationals of the United States who are employed by the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia on the effective date of this Compact with respect to the positions held by them at that time.

Section 411

TITLE FOUR

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article I

Approval and Effective Date

This Compact shall come into effect upon mutual agreement between the Government of the United States, acting in fulfillment of its responsibilities as Administering Authority of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia and subsequent to completion of the following:

(a) Approval by the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia in accordance with its constitutional processes.

(b) Conduct of the plebiscite referred to in Section 412.

(c) Approval by the Government of the United States in accordance with its constitutional processes.

Section 421

Article II

Conference and Dispute Resolution

The Government of the United States shall confer promptly at the request of the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia and any of those Governments shall confer promptly at the request of the Government of the Untied States on matters relating to the provisions of this Compact or of its related agreements.

Section 422

In the event the Government of the United States, or the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia, after conferring pursuant to Section 421, determines that there is a dispute and gives written notice thereof, the Governments which are parties to the dispute shall make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute among themselves.

Section 423

If a dispute between the Government of the United States and the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia cannot be resolved within 90 days of written notification in the manner provided in Section 422, either party to the dispute may refer it to arbitration in accordance with Section 424. Section 424

Should a dispute be referred to arbitration as provided for in Section 423, an Arbitration Board shall be established for the purpose of hearing the dispute and rendering a decision which shall be binding upon the two parties to the dispute unless the two parties mutually agree that the decision shall be advisory. Arbitration shall occur according to the following terms:

(a) An Arbitration Board shall consist of a Chairman and two other members, each of whom shall be a citizen of a party to the dispute. Each of the two Governments which is a party to the dispute shall appoint one member to the Arbitration Board. If either party to the dispute does not fulfill the appointment requirements of this Section within 30 days of referral of the dispute to arbitration pursuant to Section 423, its member on the Arbitration Board shall be selected from its own standing list by the other party to the dispute. Each Government shall maintain a standing list of 10 candidates. The parties to the dispute shall jointly appoint a Chairman within 15 days after selection of the other members of the Arbitration Board. Failing agreement on a Chairman, the Chairman shall be chosen by lot from the standing lists of the parties to the dispute within 5 days after such failure.

(b) The Arbitration Board shall have jurisdiction to hear and render its final determination on all disputes arising exclusively under Articles I, II, III, IV and V of Title One, Title Two, Title Four and their related agreements.

(c) Each member of the Arbitration Board shall have one vote. Each decision of the Arbitration Board shall be reached by majority vote.

(d) In determining any legal issue, the Arbitration Board may have reference to international law and, in such reference, shall apply as guidelines the provisions set forth in Article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice.

(e) The Arbitration Board shall adopt such rules for its proceedings as it may deem appropriate and necessary, but such rules shall not contravene the provisions of this Compact. Unless the parties provide otherwise by mutual agreement, the Arbitration Board shall endeavor to render its decision within 30 days after the conclusion of arguments. The Arbitration Board shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law and its members may issue dissenting or individual opinions. Except as may be otherwise decided by the Arbitration Board, one-half of all costs of the arbitration shall be borne by the Government of the United States and the remainder shall be borne by the other party to the dispute.

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For the purpose of this Compact only and without prejudice to the views of the Government of the United States or the Government of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia as to the nature and extent of the jurisdiction under international law of any of them, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands" means the area established in the Trusteeship Agreement consisting of the administrative_districts of Kosrae, Yap, Ponape, the Marshall Islands and Truk as described in Title One, Trust Territory Code, Section 1, in force on January 1, 1979. This term does not include the area of Palau or the Northern Mariana Islands.

(b) "Trusteeship Agreement" means the agreement setting forth the terms of trusteeship for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, approved by the Security Council of the United Nations April 2, 1947, and by the United States July 18, 1947, entered into force July 18, 1947, 61 Stat. 3301, T.I.A.S. 1665, 8 U.N.T.S. 189.

(c) "The Marshall Islands" and "the Federated States of Micronesia" are used in a geographic sense and include the land and water areas to the outer limits of the

territorial sea and the air space above such areas as now or hereafter recognized by the Government of the United States.

(d) "Government of the Marshall Islands" means the Government established and organized by the Constitution of the Marshall Islands including all the political subdivisions and entities comprising that Government.

"Government of the Federated States of Micronesia" means the Government established and organized by the Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia including all the political subdivisions and entities comprising that Government.

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(g) "Habitual Residence" means a place of general abode or a principal, actual dwelling place of a continuing or lasting nature; provided, however, that this term shall not apply to the residence of any person who entered the United States for the purpose of fulltime studies as long as such person maintains that status, or who has been physically present in the United States, the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia for less than one year, or who is a dependent of a resident representative, as described in Section 152.

(h) For the purposes of Article IV of Title One of this Compact:

(1) "Actual Residence" means physical presence in the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia during eighty-five percent of the period of residency required b Section 141(a)(3); and

(2) "Certificate of Actual Residence" means a certificate issued to a naturalized citizen by the Government which has naturalized him stating that the citizen has complied with the actual residence requirement of Section 141(a)(3).

C. NOTE ON PALAU

NOTE.-Public Law 99-658, November 14, 1986, approved the Compact of Free Association Between the United States and the Government of Palau. Title IV of the Compact, dealing with immigration, among other things would have permitted citizens of Palau to enter and remain in the United States as nonimmigrants without regard to certain grounds for exclusion. Section 101 of Public Law 101-219 (December 12, 1989) authorized entry into force of the Compact "subject to the condition that the Compact, as approved by the Congress in Public Law 99-658, is approved by the requisite percentage of the votes cast in a referendum conducted pursuant to the Constitution of Palau, and such approval is free from any legal challenge". However, Palau has not approved the Compact by the requisite number of votes cast in such a referendum. Palau remains a jurisdiction of the U.S.administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

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