HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A $460 billion federal spending package for fiscal year 2024 has passed the House of Representatives, which includes renewal language for the Compacts of Free Association with the freely associated states – the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.
However, according to the office of Guam Del. James Moylan, the language does not include annual reimbursements for host communities, which expired at the end of fiscal 2023. The measure does include provisions from the Compact Impact Fairness Act, known as CIFA, which restore federal benefits for compact migrants residing in the U.S.
Moylan has said before that CIFA would provide some benefits to Guam, but would not be enough, as the island needs the reimbursements.
“Del. James Moylan will be requesting a briefing to understand the true financial benefits the program would bring for Guam,” Moylan’s office stated in a press release.
SSI won’t apply to migrants in Guam
In a subsequent release, Moylan stated that the primary confusion regarding federal benefits available to compact migrants under CIFA is with Supplemental Security Income. According to the delegate, compact migrants relocating to Guam would not qualify for SSI because that benefit is not currently available for U.S. citizens on Guam. CIFA would provide compact migrants with access to benefits available in the U.S. jurisdiction they relocate to, Moylan said.
Moylan had introduced H.R. 6273, the Guam Host Community Compensation Act, which proposed to extend compact impact funding another 20 years, except for Hawaii. It also would impose certain requirements regarding the imprisonment and residency status of compact migrants. A hearing on the bill was held in January and, according to the delegate’s office, efforts to advance the measure continue.
“The COFA renewals are critical for various reasons, inclusive of the state of the nation’s defense. Despite our position on reimbursements, I supported and even voted for the measure to renew the COFA agreements in committee, and I am happy to see the renewals now advancing to the Senate,” Moylan stated in the release.
“Our team continues to work with various entities in pursuing reimbursements which are vital for our public safety entities and education department. There are certainly uphill challenges in identifying funds, which is a requirement in this House when it comes to seeking new spending since most accounts have been downsized. But we will continue to be persistent in the process,” the delegate added.
Moylan’s office said the Senate is expected to discuss the appropriations measure later this week.
“The House minibus appropriations measure must still pass in the U.S. Senate to eventually determine the true impact of CIFA and what it brings to our financial coffers. Likewise, there will be an eventual inequity as COFA migrants who migrate to any of the U.S. States would qualify for SSI benefits, while U.S. Citizens (and COFA migrants) residing in Guam will not. Our perspective is that this indeed could be the very caveat which eventually closes the gap and provides the SSI equity for our community. I look forward to tackling that challenge,” Moylan stated in the follow-up release.
Compact of Free Association renewals passed, according to Del. James Moylan, but there is still work to do.
