releases: https://sablan.house.gov/week-congress-august-07-2020
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://sablan.house.gov/week-congress-august-07-2020 | THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS - August 07, 2020 | 2020-08-10 | 2020 | 2020-08 | Democrat | House | MP | Gregorio Sablan | S001177 | sablan.house.gov | legacy | In this issue: $50.1m in unemployment paid US DOL: CW1s not eligible for PUA Conservation, park funds now law Student aid restrictions opposed FY21 funding benefits Marianas Deadline nears for permanent residence Telework update Kilili Time Capsule Opportunities Legislative highlights _______________________________________________________ $50.1m in unemployment paid Marianas workers laid off from their jobs because of the coronavirus have received $50,191,171 in unemployment aid so far, according to information your congressional office received from the U.S. Department of Labor this week. We made sure workers in the Marianas would be eligible for the assistance in the CARES Act last March, even though the Commonwealth has never set up the unemployment insurance system that other U.S. jurisdictions use to get the federal money to those in need. USDOL also reports the Commonwealth is required to report on workload activity, but has not done so to date. This missing report would include the number of claims, the number of weeks claimed, the number of subject employers, and information about non-monetary determinations and appeals. We will bring you this data when it becomes available. USDOL: CW-1 not eligible for PUA The U.S. Department of Labor is standing firm, that CW-1 workers are not eligible for PUA. This is a bad decision. It creates a hardship for the unemployed workers; and it means the loss of millions of dollars to the Marianas economy and lost government tax revenues. I asked Secretary Scalia to personally review this decision on June 12. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D- Massachusetts) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), followed up on my request with their own letter on June 30. However, the Department maintains that PUA benefits as a Federal public benefit as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1611(c). It argues that since CW-1 workers are not considered qualified aliens under 8 U.S.C. 1641, they would therefore not qualify for PUA. It is unfortunate that the Department is choosing to ignore the PUA eligibility clauses in the CARES Act and is administering the program, in a manner contrary to the very intent of the CARES Act. That intent is to provide assistance to workers who have been displaced by the coronavirus crisis. This is not the first time that a federal agency, responsible for implementing the laws Congress passes, interprets the law in a way that is directly at odds with the intention of Congress. Conservation, park funds now law The annual Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to the Marianas is now permanently increased. President Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law on Tuesday setting aside $900 million in offshore oil and gas revenues each year to Fund. That will mean about $1.6 million for the Marianas each year to safeguard natural areas or plan, develop, and maintain public outdoor recreation projects. Our annual grant increased from $75,000, on average, to $1,634,057 million this year with passage of the John J. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act. The Dingell Act gives each of the five insular areas a full state-share of LWCF funding. Previously, together with the District of Columbia, we split one state share. But the Fund itself was still subject to annual appropriation limits. That is why I also voted for the permanent $900 million set-aside of the oil and gas money, when H.R. 3195 came before the House Natural Resources Committee last June. 21 Democrats voted in favor; 13 Republicans opposed. The Great American Outdoors Act also establishes the National Park and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to help pay for long overdue maintenance needs at parks managed by the National Park Service, including the American Memorial Park on Saipan. Over the next five years, $6.65 billion will be allocated for repairs at facilities run by the Park Service. American Memorial Park is on the agency's list for $10.6 million in repairs. Student aid restrictions opposed The CARES Act provided more than $14 billion in emergency aid to colleges, including $1.8 million to Northern Marianas College, and required half of that funding to be used for emergency grants to students. Despite the law including no restrictions on student eligibility, the Trump Administration issued an interim final rule that excludes NMC students who don't meet the eligibility requirements for federal financial aid programs, including international students, those with a federal loan in default, and other vulnerable students. The rule also causes disproportionate harm to populations of students less likely to have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), including student veterans and students who self-finance their education through full- or part-time work. I have joined other Education and Labor Committee members in opposing the Trump rule's cruel and unauthorized restrictions. Read our letter here. FY21 funding benefits Marianas Last week, I reported that the House passed H.R. 7617, the second minibus package. The minibus included six, not fiveFY 2021 spending bills: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. Additional highlights benefitting the Marianas include: $423.4 million for Legal Services Corporation Basic Field Grants which provides funding for the Micronesian Legal Services. $525 million for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program which may be used for a number of purposes such as technical assistance, training, personnel and equipment with eight program areas including law enforcement, the prosecution and the courts, corrections, and victim assistance. $50 million for training programs on racial profiling implicit bias de-escalation use the force in a duty to intervene and procedural justice. $21.7 billion for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and $13.05 billion for Project-Based Rental Assistance, the two programs that provide much needed assistance for Marianas families. $3.5 billion for the Community Development Block Grant which funds revitalization and economic development projects. $1.7 billion for the HOME Investment Partnership for affordable housing initiatives that benefit low-income households such as home buying and home rehabilitation assistance. $3.4 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants to aid homeless persons or those at-risk of being homeless. $5.34 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which manages coastal resilience and management grants and the Coral Reef Conservation Program. These programs help the Marianas prepare for and recover from severe weather events, evolving climate hazards, and support the preservation of our coral reef ecosystems. OPPORTUNITIES Grants A note to those receiving or applying for federal grants during the coronavirus crisis: The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may extend for up to 12 months certain grants set to expire between March 31 and December 31, 2020. OMB is also providing some deadline flexibility for grant applications. Check out these links for OMB's March 9 and March 17 memo on these extensions. Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants Public Comments ESSE Relief Fund questionnaire GEER Relief Fund questionnaire PREP data Stormwater grants formula input LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK The House was in recess for the District Work Period. NEXT WEEK The House is in recess for the District Work Period. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |