Previous Story
New bill wants statues of NMI persons in US Capitol
|
Posted on Oct 11 2011
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
The chairman of the U.S. House Committee on House Administration, Rep. Daniel Lungren (R-CA), has introduced legislation allowing the CNMI and each of the other non-state areas to display a statue of their distinguished citizens in the nation’s Capitol.
Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP) was one of the co-sponsors of Lungren’s H.R. 3106, introduced on Oct. 5.
HR 3106 allows the District of Columbia, the CNMI, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to display a statue in the Capitol.
Sablan said that each state is currently allowed to place two statues of distinguished citizens in the U.S. Capitol. Absent, however, are statues from non-state areas, such as the CNMI. That may change with the introduction of HR 3106.
The delegates from these six non-state areas asked Lungren to introduce the bill.
“Having the chairman of the Committee of Jurisdiction as the author of the bill bodes well for its eventual passage. Each non-state area will be allowed one statue of ‘a deceased person who has been a citizen of the jurisdiction, and illustrious for his or her historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services,’” said Sablan.
The non-state areas are each responsible for the cost of the statue, including design, construction, and transportation.
“H.R. 3106 recognizes that the Northern Marianas is part of the United States. We have contributed and sacrificed for America and want to share our experience and pride, as embodied in one individual, here in our Capitol,” Sablan added.
