CNMI gets $231K more in Compact Impact payment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Acting Interior assistant secretary Nikolao Pula has made available $3 million in Compact Impact funding for fiscal year 2017, as an additional federal contribution toward defraying the costs that Guam, Hawaii, the CNMI, and American Samoa bear due to the presence of migrants from the freely associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Guam received $1.5 million, Hawaii $1.3 million, the CNMI $231,000, and American Samoa $2,000.

This funding is in addition to the mandatory $30 million provided to the affected jurisdictions to help with the costs of providing social services to migrants from FSM, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. 

“The governors of the affected jurisdictions have reported that the federal government is not providing sufficient funds to cover the costs they bear for the impact of migrants from the freely associated states on social services,” said Pula. “Both Guam and Hawaii have each reported costs exceeding $100 million a year.”

The Compacts of Free Association approved in Public Law 99-239 and Public Law 99-658 allow for citizens of FSM, the Marshall Islands, and Palau to live and work in the United States as legal non-immigrants.

The Compact, as amended (Public Law 108-188), provides $30 million annually in mandatory funds to defray costs associated with FAS migrants to Guam, Hawaii, the CNMI, and American Samoa.

First authorized and appropriated for fiscal year 2012, discretionary Compact Impact grants have also been provided annually as an additional contribution for educational impacts.

The $30 million in mandatory Compact impact funding for fiscal year 2017 was released earlier, with distributions of $14.7 million for Guam, $12.6 million for Hawaii, $2.3 million for the CNMI, and $21,447 for American Samoa. This funding may be used more broadly for health, educational, social, or public safety services or infrastructure related to such services due to the residence of FAS migrants in these jurisdictions.

Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU) said in a statement yesterday that she has worked with her colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to protect this funding, despite efforts by the Trump administration to reduce or eliminate it in the budget request for each of the last three fiscal years and for fiscal year 2018. 

“Compact Impact is an important issue for our island, and I continue to work in Congress to find ways to lessen the burdens put on our local treasury as a result of these agreements. I commend the Office of Insular Affairs for releasing these discretionary funds to supplement the mandatory $30 million provided to Guam and other affected jurisdictions for services provided to Compact migrants,” said Bordallo. “…I will continue to fight in Congress to ensure that Compact impact remains a priority at OIA and to find innovative solutions to help address the insufficient funding levels provided to our local government.”

Both discretionary and mandatory Compact impact grant funding are allocated according to a ratio based on an enumeration of migrants from FSM, the Marshall Islands, and Palau residing in those jurisdictions.

According to the 2013 Compact Impact enumeration conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Census, there are 17,170 FAS migrants in Hawaii, 14,700 in Guam, 2,660 in the CNMI, and 25 in American Samoa.

As required by law, the enumeration is to be conducted every five years and should be conducted again in 2018. (PR)