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Third FSM Constitutional Convention, Day 29/30

POHNPEI, Palikir (FSM Information Service): December 11, 2001 - On their first day back, December 10, from a 9 day working recess, Delegates passed on Second Reading C.P. No. 01-2, repealing Section 3 of Article III of the FSM Constitution in its entirety to read; "Section 3. A citizen of the FSM may not be prohibited from becoming a citizen of another nation, in addition to his FSM citizenship." The proposal needs to clear the Committee on Style and Arrangements before it comes back to Final Reading in the plenary. One the same day, the Convention deferred action on C.P. Nos. 01-1 and 01-4 which were attempting to clear the Second Reading process along with C.P. No. ­1-2, which passed.

The two proposals came up again today, December 11, for passage on Second Reading, but again deferred, to Thursday, to allow further work on them.

One of four proposals , however, cleared First Reading today; C.P. No. 01-11, which would amend Section 1 of Article XIII of the FSM Constitution to require the National Government to establish certain standards for primary and secondary schools and to establish a fund to help the schools meet those standards. A petition signed by more than 50 people in the Pohnpei Public School system urged passage of the proposal. The other three proposals were; C.P. Nos. 01-8, to amend Article X, Section 8 of the Constitution of the FSM, to create the Office of the Independent Prosecutor; C.P. No. 01-9, to add a new section 8 to Article XIII of the Constitution of the FSM providing a lifetime annuity to former Presidents and Vice Presidents of the FSM, and C.P. No. 01-10, to amend Article XI, Section 3 of the FSM Constitution, to limit the terms of Justices of the FSM Supreme Court to not more than 15 years.

One more proposal was introduced today, the 30th day of the Convention, by the Yap Delegation; D.P. No. 01-58, intends to amend Article XIII, Section 4 to provide that only citizens born of parents, one or both of whom are citizens of the FSM, and corporations wholly owned by such citizens, may acquire title of land or waters in the FSM.

For committee meetings, the Committee on Government Structure and Functions will meet tomorrow morning at 8:45. The Committee on Public Finance and Revenue will meet at 12:00 o'clock tomorrow noon, and the Committee on Style and Arrangement will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 14.

Convention took to recess today, at 5:50 p.m. and will reconvene Thursday, December 13, at 10:00 o'clock in the morning. To allow Committees to try to finish up their work.