HI SCR151

Urges the U.S. Department of the Interior and Congress to provide additional federal aid to Hawaii for financial, medical, and other assistance for Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.

Notes that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act of 1996 made COFA migrants ineligible for federally funded financial and medical assistance, requiring Hawaii to use state funds instead since 1997.

Cites that Hawaii spent $163 million on COFA migrants in 2014 (53% on education, 44% on health and social services) and $30-40 million on healthcare alone in 2017, while receiving only approximately $12 million in federal Compact Impact Assistance funding.

Calls for Congress to amend the 1996 act to make COFA migrants eligible for federal financial and medical assistance and for the Department of the Interior to increase Compact Impact Assistance grants and establish dialysis and chemotherapy centers in Micronesia and COFA areas.

Directs transmission of this resolution to the President, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, congressional leaders, and Hawaii's congressional delegation.