HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

114

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS, TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR LAWFUL NON-IMMIGRANTS FROM THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS, AND PALAU.

 

WHEREAS, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the United States entered into the Compact of Free Association in 1986; and

WHEREAS, the Compact of Free Association (Compact) recognizes the sovereignty of these three Freely Associated States and governs the relations between the United States and the Freely Associated States; and

WHEREAS, the Compact also provides direct economic assistance, federal services, and military protection to these nations, in exchange for defense rights; and

WHEREAS, the Compact permits residents of the Freely Associated States to enter the United States as non-immigrants entitled to live and work freely within our borders; and

WHEREAS, certain provisions of the Compact relating to economic assistance expired in 2001 and are presently the subject of negotiations between the Freely Associated States and the United States Department of the Interior, Insular Affairs Office; and

WHEREAS, over 6,000 immigrants from the Freely Associated States have come to Hawaii to seek a better life, better educational and work opportunities, and better medical care; and

WHEREAS, as many as 58 percent of those 6,000 immigrants live below federal poverty guidelines; and

WHEREAS, immigrants from the Freely Associated States have strained social welfare services and threaten to overwhelm Hawaii's health care and safety net programs, particularly after the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which denied federal benefits to most nonresident aliens and permanent residents; and

WHEREAS, since 1986, Hawaii has spent over $40,000,000 on health, education, and other social services for Freely Associated States' residents; and

WHEREAS, in 2000, the cost of providing social welfare benefits such as health care and education for residents of the Freely Associated States was $9,000,000 for Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the Compact's enabling legislation authorizes federal compensation for impact costs incurred by Hawaii and other jurisdictions, and Hawaii has only received $4,000,000 in reimbursements despite the submission of annual impact reports documenting expenses of over $40,000,000; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the Senate concurring, that the U.S. Congress and the Department of the Interior, Insular Affairs Office, are requested to increase Compact impact assistance funding for Freely Associated States in any new agreement negotiated between the parties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in the alternative, Congress is requested to amend Public Law 104-193 to include as "qualified aliens" lawful non-immigrant residents of the Freely Associated States residing within the United States and permit residents of the Freely Associated States, who are otherwise qualified, to receive federally funded public benefits including medical assistance, food stamps, and cash assistance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress is requested to explore the possibility of providing added housing assistance and amending Public Law 106-604 to assist the lawful non-immigrant residents of Freely Associated States by providing eligibility to financial assistance to individuals who would otherwise qualify for benefits; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of the Interior and to the members of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation.

Report Title:

Federated States of Micronesia