U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) welcomed the Senate's approval by unanimous consent of H.J. Res. 63, the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003, a joint resolution to codify the negotiated agreements between the United States, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).
"While the Compact has been successful in guiding the transition of the RMI and FSM from U.N. Trust Territories to independent nations, and in preserving the national security interests of the U.S., RMI, and FSM, it has not been as successful in the area of economic development and economic self-sufficiency," Akaka noted. "The Pacific islands hold a special place in my heart and I treasure the longstanding relationships with the people of these nations. My fondest hope for this legislation is that it provide the necessary funding and support to meet the goal of assisting the RMI and FSM to achieve economic self-sufficiency in the next 20 years."
The Senate-passed version of the resolution includes the additional $15 million Akaka added during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee markup to the annual amount of mandatory funding for Compact Impact which is shared by the affected jurisdictions of Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). "Although $30 million does not begin to cover our annual expenses, nor reimburse the affected areas for costs shifted onto them by the Federal government over the last 17 years, it is a marked improvement," Akaka noted.
The Senate-passed resolution also includes language authorizing reimbursements to health care institutions in the affected jurisdictions for costs associated with the migration of FAS citizens. Hawaii's medical providers are owed thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bills, and the situation has had an adverse impact on health care in Hawaii. "I am very pleased that this resolution addresses this situation," said Akaka.
The Senate resolution also permits referrals of FAS citizens to Department of Defense medical facilities on a space available and reimbursable basis; makes Hawaii eligible for grants to address communicable diseases such as cholera, tuberculosis and Hansen's disease; maintains federal funding for Pell Grants and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) [eligibility for all other educational programs is converted to a cash grant and the Senate resolution mandates that those discretionary funds be added to the education sector grants]; retains eligibility for Job Corps; provides for a full inflation adjustment after 2015 for grants and the trust funds; and provides mandatory payments to Enewetak and Rongelap, two communities affected by U.S. nuclear weapons tests, to operate programs to import food and thus reduce the radiation dose from eating foods grown locally.
"We've been working on this reauthorization for the past four years, and I'm pleased to see the legislation move one step closer to enactment," Akaka said. "The Senate passed solid legislation that preserves FAS eligibility for Pell Grants, Job Corps, and IDEA. I'm very grateful to Senators Domenici and Bingaman for agreeing to the many amendments that I proposed to the resolution, including the additional $15 million in mandatory funding for Compact Impact aid, which brings the total to $30 million."
