HI SR117

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

States that Hawaii spent an estimated $163 million on COFA migrants in 2014 (53% on education, 44% on health and social services) and between $30-40 million on healthcare alone in 2017, more than twice the approximately $12 million in federal Compact Impact Assistance funding received.

Requests Congress amend the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act of 1996 to make COFA migrants eligible for federally funded financial and medical assistance, which would reduce state expenditures.

Urges the Department of the Interior to increase Compact Impact Assistance grant funding, identify additional federal assistance and grants, and establish dialysis and chemotherapy centers in Micronesia and COFA areas to reduce healthcare costs.

Directs transmission of certified copies to the President, Secretary of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs Director, Senate Majority Leader, House Speaker, and Hawaii's congressional delegation.