Former Rep. Felicidad T. Ogumoro, the program’s board chairwoman, said House Bill 16-5 has “caused tons of confusion and uncertainty in its unceasing intent to impose conflicting and inconsistent provisionson SHEFA….”
In a letter to lawmakers, she claimed that “graduating college students, including parents, are impacted, especially as students begin making preparation to enter the local labor market and be part of a much needed productive, educated and skilled workforce on Saipan.”
She said the “uncertainty” created by the proposal “distracts” SHEFA beneficiaries from their studies.
The bill, she added, will “dismantle” SHEFA as it is presently constituted.
“This is…in direct contravention to existing SHEFA rules and regulations,” she said, referring to Saipan Local Law 13-21 which created the scholarship program.
Ogumoro asked lawmakers not to dismantle Saipan’s only municipal-level postsecondary program, which was established in 2005.
She said that since its inception, the program has “increased greater awareness of and interest among high school students and adult residents to pursue their degrees.”
The Office of Public Auditor early this year released a report indicating fiscal mismanagement in the program, which the SHEFA board and administrators denied.
Ogumoro, in her letter to the lawmakers, said SHEFA wants to offer an amicable solution to these issues as she cited the “important role” that will be played by the program when local immigration is federalized in June next year.
