Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

Third FSM Constitutional Convention, Day 16

POHNPEI, Palikir (FSM Information Service): November 27, 2001 –
The first proposal reported and approved on First Reading
by the Convention was Delegate Proposal No. 01-23, requiring that at least
four justices be on the bench of the Supreme Court at all times. The
proposal was assigned and reported out of the Committee on Government
Structure and Functions as Standing Committee Report No. 01-1. The other
proposals approved on First Reading today were D.P. Nos. 01-17 and 01-34,
both of which provide that a citizen of the FSM may not be prohibited from
becoming a citizen of another nation, in addition to his FSM citizenship.
The two proposals were assigned to the Committee on Civil Liberties and
Traditions where they combined the two into one. The proposals were
reported out as Standing Committee Report No. 01-2.

Two more Delegate Proposals were introduced today; D.P. No. 01-56, to
amend Section 3(a) of Article X of the FSM Constitution by adding that the
President of the FSM is the primary and sole executor of the roles and
functions of Head of State of the FSM, and D.P. No. 01-57, to amend Section
1 of Article X of the FSM Constitution to provide that the President of the
FSM is elected by the people of the FSM. Both were assigned to the
Committee on Government Structure and Functions.

For public hearings and meetings, Committees continue to meet even as a
State/National Leadership Conference is being held at the Nation¹s Capital,
to meet the Convention¹s deadline of 45 days of session under the law. For
tomorrow, 11/28, the Committee on Civil Liberties and Traditions will be
holding a hearing on Delegate Proposal No. 01-28, to amend Section I of
Article VI of the FSM Constitution to provide that a citizen 18 years of age
may vote in national elections, irrespective of where he may be residing at
the time of election; and Delegate Proposal No. 01-39, to amend Section 9 of
Article IV of the FSM Constitution to provide that capital punishment is
prohibited, except to punish certain heinous crimes and acts of terrorism.
Convention took to recess at 12:56 p.m. and will reconvene tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.