Bordallo wrote a response letter to GOP lawmakers, providing them information about her efforts to increase CI funding to Guam.
The congresswoman wrote that she has taken steps to address the impacts of Compact migrants, citing the successful raising of assistance in 2004 to $14.2 million a year. Last year, as set in statute from 2004, these grants were again raised to $16.8 million.
Bordallo said she recognized that the amount does not address the full adverse impact to Guam, but “it was a major boost in assistance from the previous amount of $4.5 million.”
Bordallo wrote that she was also successful in including a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 that authorized and outlined the terms of an integration of the civilian and military water and wastewater systems.
Bordallo said that if Secretary of Defense Robert Gates chooses to integrate the systems, the fair market value of the integration can be offset by the cost of unreimbursed Compact-Impact costs.
She also noted that Governor Calvo has the opportunity to negotiate with the DoD, using his authority, “which could help to immediately address unreimbursed Compact costs.”
Bordallo said that in the last Congress, she introduced legislation and intended to do so again in this Congress, which would make children of Compact migrants who are “provided with educational services in impacted areas eligible for Federal Impact Aid.” Bordallo said this would provide additional funding for the cost of educating the children of Compact migrants.
Bordallo also said she plans to introduce legislation that will make citizens of the Freely Associated States eligible for health care coverage under Medicaid, preferably outside the caps or with waivers to use current Medicaid funds without a local match.
Bordallo said that the Obama administration has presented Congress with the Palau Compact Review for action and it was her hope that the GAO will report back its findings that can help Congress address the broader Compact-Impact issues.
The GAO was on Guam to gather information on Compact-Impact issues affecting the island. They expect to release a report in September.
Bordallo, along with her colleagues, initiated the GAO study to review jurisdictions affected by the costs of providing local services to Compact migrants.
