Aside from tapping federal assistance, Sablan said he is also working to improve the quality of healthcare and make it more affordable for the people.
Last week, he said the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2997, or the Agriculture, Rural Development Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriation for fiscal year 2010, which included his funding request of $2 million.
“I submitted a request for more money for our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and got a $2 million increase over FY 2009, from $10.14 million to $12.148 million,” he said.
Sablan reported he was able to secure 25 percent increase or $200,000 for the Resident Instruction Grants for Insular Areas program, and $1 million for Distance Education Grants, a program that has never been funded before.
The two programs, he said, will help Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service.
From the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants, Sablan said the CNMI was able to get $3 million for the protection of the Laolao coral reef and the creation of jobs to stimulate the commonwealth’s economy.
He said the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has provided a grant of $2,990,919 to the Division of Environmental Quality for work around Laolao Bay to protect the coral reef.
DEQ will use the grant to upgrade roads and improve drainage around the bay.
The program will reduce the sediment that now runs off into the water and smothers the living coral.
Sablan said the commonwealth will create 75 jobs directly through the program.
“By making Laolao even more attractive to tourists the project is expected to generate another 32 jobs long-term. DEQ estimates that coral reefs bring $42 million to the CNMI tourist economy each year. 814 agencies applied for these Recovery Act funds. DEQ was one of only 50 to win a grant,” he said.
He commended DEQ Director Frank Rabauliman, Frances Castro, Kathleen Herrmann, Brian Bearden, James Callier, and all the people of the division who worked on the proposal.
To help families pay their rent, Sablan said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $589,165 grant to the Northern Marianas and 500 other communities in the U.S. to keep people in their homes.
“The formula grant provides assistance to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless because they can’t pay their rent. The rental assistance can also go to people who are already homeless to help them get re-housed and back on their feet,” he said.
Another $205,290 from the Recovery Act funds was awarded for the Head Start program of the Public School System.
Sablan said the amount can be used for staff cost-of-living increases as well as quality improvement needs that PSS has identified.
The CNMI also got $7,460,400, representing the second installment of the State Energy Program Recovery Grant.
This grant could help reduce energy consumption and promote renewable energy in the CNMI, while creating new, green jobs, Sablan said.
The money is the second part of the total grant which amounts more than $18 million.
The first installment, $1.8 million, was used for planning.
Sablan said the money will fund initiatives to incorporate energy efficiency technologies and practices in buildings and provide for the development, implementation and enforcement of energy policies throughout the government of the Northern Marianas.
The grant will also establish an energy education program, providing schools and the general public with information about energy efficiency concepts, applications, and scientific studies, he said.
The final 50 percent of funds, amounting to more than $9 million, will be released once the CNMI meets reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones required by federal law, he added.
