Kilili wrote early this month to acting Gov. Eloy Inos and Agriculture Undersecretary Kevin Concannon with five recommendations that would result in better benefits, especially for food stamp recipients on Tinian and Rota.
The five recommendations are:
1. Higher benefits for Tinian and Rota, adjusted to take into account the higher cost of food on those islands.
2. Use of the Standard Utility Allowance, common in the rest of the U.S., which better accounts for household utility costs.
3. Resetting household asset limits to conform to the 2008 Farm Bill and allowing for annual inflation adjustments.
4. Assuring that when the number of food stamp users rises in the Northern Marianas, the available funding from the Agriculture Department will rise, as well.
5. Requiring that the CNMI maintain consumer price information for each of the populated islands.
In his letter Congressman Sablan acknowledged that he is not a party to the negotiations between the commonwealth and the federal executives. “However, now that the people of the Northern Marianas are represented in Congress, I have an obligation to ensure that all federal programs that residents of the CNMI are eligible for and are participating in are being utilized to the fullest extent possible.”
