Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 90 Part 2.djvu/1431

 PUBLIC LAW 94-584^0CT. 21, 1976

90 STAT. 2899

Public Law 94-584 94th Congress An Act To provide for the establishment of constitutions for the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That the Congress, recognizing the basic democratic principle of government by the consent of the governed, authorizes the peoples of the Virgin Islands and of Guam, respectively, to organize governments pursuant to constitutions of their own adoption as provided in this Act. SEC. 2. (a) The Le^slatures of the Virgin Islands and Guam, respectively, are authorized to call constitutional conventions to draft, within the existing territorial-Federal relationship, constitutions for the local self-government of the people of the Virgin Islands and Guam. (b) Such constitutions shall— (1) recognize, and be consistent with, the sovereignty of the United States over the Virgin Islands and Guam, respectively, and the supremacy of the provisions of the Constitution, treaties, and laws of the United States applicable to the Virgin Islands and Guam, respectively, including, but not limited to, those provisions of the Organic Act and Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands and the Organic Act of Guam which do not relate to local self-government. (2) provide for a republican form of government, consisting of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial; (3) contain a bill of rights; (4) deal with the subject matter of those provisions of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands of 1954, as amended, and the Organic Act of Guam, as amended, respectively, which relate to local self-government; (5) with reference to Guam, provide that the voting franchise may be vested only in residents of Guam who are citizens of the United States; (6) provide for a system of local courts consistent with the provisions of the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands, as amended; and (7) provide for the establishment of a system of local courts the provisions of which shall become effective no sooner than upon the enactment of legislation regulating the relationship between the local courts of Guam with the Federal judicial system. SEC. 3, The members of such constitutional conventions shall be chosen as provided by the laws of the Virgin Islands and Guam, respectively (enacted after the date of enactment of this Act): Provided, however, That no person shall be eligible to be a member of

Oct. 21, 1976 [H.R. 9460] Virgin Islands and Guam. Constitutions. 48 USC 1391 note. 48 USC 1391 note.

48 USC 1406m, 1541 note. 48 USC 1421 note.

48 USC 1391 note.

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