Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia

Congress News Day 17: Wednesday, February 20th

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): February 21, 2008 – The 15th Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia had on Day 17 of its Third Regular Session, adopted the bill for naturalization and the bill on venture funds and, defeated the nomination for Deputy Secretary of foreign affairs.

Congress passed on Second and final reading Congressional Bill (C.B.) no. 15-55, which proposes the establishment of an FSM Venture Fund to allow the registration of international corporations in the nation.

Also passed on Second and final reading is C.B. no. 15-75, a bill to amend title 7 of the FSM Code to allow, through naturalization, FSM citizenship to those FSM nationals and children of FSM citizens wishing for citizenship, and other purposes.

Congress had however defeated in a vote of 2/2, the Second Reading of C.B. no. 15-30 – CD1, the bill to exempt the US federally funded employees of the national government from the national Public Service System Act.

On the Resolution Calendar, Congress had defeated Congressional Resolution 15-82, the nomination of Ismael Dobich to the position of Deputy Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Prior to the voting, Chairman Dohsis Halbert encouraged the Administration to consider a more geographically balanced approach to the selection process for the cabinet positions and top posts of the national government. The process would foster a balanced representation of the nation’s best human resources. A view that Senator Claude H. Phillip strongly associate himself with.

Following the Resolution Calendar, Congress went into recess to reconvene the next day at 10am.