Bill Text: HI HCR208 | 2015 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Compact of Free Association Nations Migrants; Restore Federal Healthcare Funding
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-01 - Received notice of Adoption in House (Hse. Com. No. 650). [HCR208 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2015-HCR208-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
208 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
S.D. 1 |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
STRONGLY URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR TO RESTORE FEDERAL HEALTHCARE FUNDING FOR U.S. RESIDENTS PRESENT UNDER THE COMPACTS OF FREE ASSOCIATION, IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR UNIQUE HISTORIC AND ONGOING SACRIFICES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE WORLD.
WHEREAS, the Freely Associated States of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia comprise a multitude of islands, languages, and cultures throughout the Micronesian region of the Pacific Ocean; and
WHEREAS, the Freely Associated States were former Trust Territories of the United States and, as sovereign nations, continue to place their trust in the United States through the Compacts of Free Association; and
WHEREAS, the Compacts of Free Association between the Freely Associated States and the United States of America recognize the historic sacrifices and contributions of the citizens of the Freely Associated States to the interests of the United States, including the use of their islands and atolls for sixty-seven nuclear tests from 1946 to 1958, subjecting the Marshallese people to human radiation experiments without their knowledge or their consent, and the United States military's occupation of their islands and waters to ensure United States' control of the Pacific; and
WHEREAS, under the Compacts of Free Association, the United States continues to exercise exclusive military jurisdiction over the lands and waters of the Freely Associated States and continues to use their sovereign territories for military weapons testing, including the use of their atolls as part of the United States National Missile Defense Program's long-range intercontinental ballistic missile defense system; and
WHEREAS, decades of United States administration has failed to establish economic independence within the Freely Associated States, leading to a lack of adequate agricultural, educational, and health infrastructure necessary for a self-sufficient society; and
WHEREAS, in addition to these contributions and sacrifices, the sons and daughters of the Freely Associated States continue to lay down their lives in the interests of the United States, representing some of the highest per-capita military recruitment levels to the United States military compared to any other jurisdiction, including each of the fifty states of the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, United States residents present under the Compacts of Free Association invariably contribute substantially to their communities and local economies, through both skilled and unskilled labor, and by paying all taxes and fees applicable to any other citizen and resident of the United States; and
WHEREAS, the achievements and contributions of the people of the Freely Associated States have and continue to greatly inform our nation's understanding of the common heritage of Pacific Islanders and of humankind, including but not limited to the awe-inspiring world wonder of Pohnpei's Nan Madol, the "Venice of the Pacific"; the ocean conservation and management leadership of Palau, which continues to boast teeming and abundant reefs and waters despite decades of modernization; the traditional ocean navigation techniques kept alive and rejuvenated by the late Pius "Papa Mau" Piailug, which are now leading a worldwide voyage for global sustainability by the canoes Hōkūle'a and Hikianalia; and the internationally-recognized advocacy of government leaders and youth alike for nuclear disarmament and awareness of climate change's global impacts; and
WHEREAS, despite the limited rights to travel, reside, and work, seek educational opportunity, and seek medical treatment in the United States, citizens of the Freely Associated States who find themselves in the United States continue to encounter substantial and varied forms of discrimination, including cultural, economic, linguistic, and social barriers; and
WHEREAS, despite the rights of citizens of the Freely Associated States to reside and seek economic opportunity in the United States, the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 removed United States residents present under the Compacts of Free Association from their previous eligibility for numerous federal benefits, including Medicaid, which their taxes continue to fund, and which all other citizens and most resident legal immigrants enjoy; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii had until March 1, 2015, to continue funding to provide indigent community members with equal access to the state-administered Medicaid program, known as Med-QUEST, to mitigate the widespread economic, public health, societal, and moral impacts of categorically denying healthcare safety nets to these residents; and
WHEREAS, citing fiscal concerns, Hawaii has discontinued Med-QUEST eligibility for most indigent Compact of Free Association residents, requiring that they instead enroll in a health insurance plan through the Hawaii Health Connector; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding limited state and federal premium subsidies, the relatively high cost of maintaining such health insurance plans, including cost sharing and co-pay requirements, will likely make healthcare coverage unaffordable to the most indigent members of our community, potentially resulting in significant and long-term detrimental impacts to our local social fabric, public health, and healthcare infrastructure, and to our nation's ongoing relationships with the Freely Associated States; and
WHEREAS, justice, fairness, human decency, and sound national policy demand equal access to federal healthcare safety net funding for all United States residents and taxpayers present under the Compacts of Free Association; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the Senate concurring, that the United States Congress and the United States Department of the Interior are strongly urged to work to restore Medicaid eligibility or other federal healthcare funding for United States residents and taxpayers present under the Compacts of Free Association, through amendments to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 or by other means; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of the Interior is strongly urged to review the funding of the Compact Impact Assistance grant and to make every effort to increase the amount of direct assistance available to the State of Hawaii to enable greater state support of Hawaii's indigent Compact of Free Association residents' healthcare needs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Congress is strongly urged to support federal legislation to amend the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to render Compact of Free Association migrants eligible to receive federally funded financial and medical assistance; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the Office of Insular Affairs, the Commander of the United States Pacific Command, the Director of Human Services, the Director of Health, and the Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Compact of Free Association Nations Migrants; Restore Federal Healthcare Funding
