President Obama is expected to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Tuesday.
Congressman Gregorio C. Sablan said he was glad that after weeks of working on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1, money would soon become available to the commonwealth.
“The money will not only stimulate the economy right now, but it will also help build a better economic future by providing projects that will last for the long-term,” he said.
“This bill has money for school modernization, for government operations, for highways and water and sewer systems. This bill has money to help those in need with food assistance, to train workers for new jobs, and to weatherize homes to help people cut back on power expenses.”
But the money does not come without strings attached.
“The commonwealth government will now have put together applications for the funds, sometimes competing with other jurisdictions,” Sablan said. “And the CNMI government will have to do so quickly. Because this money is meant to stimulate immediate economic activity, so there are ‘use it or lose it’ provisions throughout the bill.”
Education
Sablan is particularly pleased that the bill focuses strongly on education.
“The education of our children is the best investment we can make in the CNMI’s future. I am pleased that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller were successful in ensuring that the bulk of the money available to the CNMI is targeted at education,” he said.
Approximately $8.4 million in the bill will go to the Public School System through existing programs.
In addition, a pool of $219.2 million will be available to American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas on a need basis.
The U.S. secretary of education in consultation with the secretary of the interior will make the distribution.
This new money is intended to restore school funding levels that have been cut over the last several years.
The money can also be use to repair existing school facilities and to make them more energy efficient to cut down on the cost of utilities.
“All of this additional funding is really just a first step to ensuring that our children catch up, and keep pace, with the rest of the world,” Sablan said.
“Even before leaving for Washington I was in continual communication with our school administrators and the Board of Education about the needs of our schools. Now that I am a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor I will be able to do much more to help teachers and students.”
New money
Another large pool of $48.8 million will be available to the four insular areas for police and other public services, including higher education.
These funds, too, will be distributed on a need basis based on grant applications submitted by the CNMI fovernor.
Sablan emphasized that all of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is entirely new money.
“The CNMI already receives tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis. But the money that the Act will make available to the CNMI is in addition to what we are already receiving. It is intended to help our economy at this time when we need help the most,” he said.
“So, I urge the governor and commonwealth officials to make full use of these funds in a way that will make the most impact and help get our people and islands out of the economic doldrums.”
