control of Cuba. The jurisdiction of the Committee on Insular Affairs was over "all matt (excepting those affecting the revenue and appropriations) pertaining to t islands which came to the United States through the treaty of 1899 with Spa and to Cuba." The Committee gained jurisdictional control over the islands Samoa through an agreement with England and Germany in 1899 granting t United States control over the islands. 116 After the creation of the Republic of Cuba in 1902, the Committee on Insul Affairs transferred jurisdiction over Cuba to the Committee on Foreign Affai in 1906. In 1916, after the Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark, th Committee gained jurisdictional control over the Islands. As a result of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, the Committee or Insular Affairs was abolished and its jurisdictions was included into the Committee on Public Lands." Issues within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Insular Affairs include: Issues relating to the islands ceded by the treaty of 1899 (Guam and the Philippines from Spain), except for matters of revenue and appropriations. the Philippine Islands. legislation relating to Porto (Puerto) Rico, except for matters of revenue and appropriations. relating to the Virgin Islands, except for matters of revenue and appropriations. relating to Cuba (this was later given over to the Committee on Foreign Affairs). certain claims in the Philippines. Issues discussed by the Committee 1903 Philippine coinage. Removal of persons accused of crime to and from the Philippine 6 Asher C. Hinds. Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives of the United States (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1907), vol. 4, p. 789. 7 U.S. Congress, Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of 4 6 -7 8 Construction of harbors and establishment of agricultural experiment stations in Porto Rico. Bonds for municipal improvements in the Philippines. Philippines, Batan Island military reservation. Construction of wharves and piers in Puerto Rico. Removal of Cuba within the Committee's jurisdiction since Cuba became an independent nation. Establishment of an agricultural bank in the Philippines. Increase the membership of the Philippine Commission, and to regulate shipping in trade between the United States and the Philippine Archipelago. authorizing the construction of a bridge across the Condado Bay on San Juan Island, Porto Rico. Authorizing the President to convey to the people of Porto Rico certain Providing for the quadrennial election of the Philippine Legislature and 14 All matters pertaining to the island which came to the United States through the treaty of 1899 with Spain be referred to the Committee on Insular Affairs. 21 Authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to repair and rebuild customs buildings in Porto Rico, and to pay for the same out of duties collected in Porto Rico. 22 Authorize the United States Shipping Board to acquire a site on the Virgin Islands for a fuel and fuel-oil station and fresh-water reservoir for Shipping Board and other merchant vessels, as well as United States naval vessels. 25 Legalizing certain taxes imposed by the Philippine Legislature. Providing for a permanent government of the Virgin Islands of the 27 Ratify and confirm certain acts of the Philippine Legislature. Providing for the government of the Virgin Islands, conferring United States citizenship upon certain inhabitants of the Virgin Islands, extending the naturalization laws thereof, and authorizing appropriations for public highways in the Virgin Islands. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs Issues within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs include: activities of employees of the Bureau of Land Management. setting aside national forest lands created from the public domain seaward boundaries of inland waters. survey of inland and internal waterways by the U.S. Coast and irrigation works and power. reclamation protection works by the Bureau of Reclamation. Indian lands, including the proceeds from the sale of timber and proceeds from the disposal of oil shale lands. land and boundary claims based on accretion or avulsion. acquisition of territorial lands by the Navy. reservation of mineral lands in the Outer Continental Shelf. Military Parks, including cemeteries, administered by the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service. 1939 Add certain lands to the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County, California, created from the public domain. 1942 Revise the boundaries of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National 1946 Authorizing the performance of necessary reclamation protection work 1950 Civilian Conservation Corps and use of volunteers on public domain 197 1951 Relating to the activities of temporary and certain other employees of the Bureau of Land Management. 1952 Provide the basis for authorization of irrigation works in connection ower revenues. Boundaries of the inland or internal waters of the United States to be as ar seaward as is permissible under international law, and providing for survey of such boundaries to be made by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Authorize a $100 per capita payment to members of the Red Lake Band f Chippewa Indians from the proceeds of the sale of timber and lumber on the Red Lake Reservation. Make certain provisions in connection with the construction of the Garrison Diversion Unit, Missouri River Basin reclamation project, by The Secretary of the Interior. Authorize the Secretary of the Navy to acquire certain land on the sland of Guam. Providing for the reinstatement and validation of a U.S. oil and gas ease. Provide for the inclusion of the Nebraska Mid-State unit in the Missouri River Basin reclamation project. Financing of the Bonneville Power. Proposals to reserve for the use of the Department of Defense certain areas in the Outer Continental Shelf, and to exclude them from the nineral leasing provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Establish a Commission on Pennsylvania Avenue to initiate plans for he further development of the avenue as a national historic site. Directing the Secretary of Agriculture to set aside for recreational use certain lands which have been established as wilderness areas pursuant to the Wilderness Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 890). Claims by the United States to lands along the Colorado River, where t forms the boundary between states and where the government's claim is founded upon accretion or avulsion. Military parks (including the cemeteries therein), administered by the Secretary of the Interior and the National Park Service. Providing that proceeds from the disposal of oil shale lands [other than naval oil shale reserves] shall go to a special Treasury account, available for disbursement by the Secretary of the Treasury for educational purposes. Authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to classify as wilderness, national forest lands in the Lincoln Back Country, and parts of the Lewis and Clark and Lolo National Forests in Montana. Directing the Secretary of the Interior to rename the Alamogordo Reservoir in New Mexico, although that reservoir was a flood control project. Special Committee on Water Power The Special Committee on Water Power was established on January 11, 1918, and held jurisdiction over legislation involving the development and use of water power within the United States. For several years Congress had failed to pass legislation to authorize building of dams on navigable streams and waterways. The Secretary of War, Secretary of the Interior, and Secretary of Agriculture, cooperated in the drafting of legislation affecting their areas of authority. In the House, the jurisdiction was split: the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce had jurisdiction over bills regarding construction of bridges and dams over navigable waters within the States, the Committee on Public Lands had jurisdiction over dams on public lands, and the Agriculture Committee had jurisdiction over those on forest reserves. To prevent the Secretaries' bill from being fragmented among committees, the special committee was created, drawing its members from the three standing committees. The committee was renewed in the 66th Congress (1919-21). Select Committee on Conservation of Wildlife Resources (1934-1946) 73d-79th Congresses On January 29, 1934, the House created the Select Committee on Conservation of Wildlife Resources, consisting of 15 members, including the chairmen of the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Merchant Marine, Radio, and Fisheries, as well as the two House Members on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. A. Willis Robertson of Virginia served as committee chairman throughout the committee's 13-year existence. The committee monitored, studied, and investigated the wildlife conservation activities of a number of Federal agencies, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies tangentially involved in wildlife conservation. Select Committee on Outer Continental Shelf (94-96th Congresses) Ad Hoc Select Committee on the Outer Continental Shelf On April 22, 1975, the House created the Ad Hoc Select Committee on the Outer Continental Shelf, consisting of 16 members. On May 6, 1975, membership was increased to 19. Members included representatives from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs; Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, as well as any necessary Members the Speaker may appoint. This was the first Ad Hoc Committee in the history of Congress to have legislative authority. The ad hoc Select Committee on the Outer Continental Shelf was authorized to consider and report back to |