HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

117

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO INCLUDE RESIDENT CITIZENS OF THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES AS "QUALIFIED ALIENS" UNDER THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND WORK OPPORTUNITY RECONCILIATION ACT IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR UNIQUE HISTORIC AND ONGOING SACRIFICES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

 

 

 


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 island atolls for 67 nuclear tests from 1946 to 1958, the subjecting of Marshallese people to human radiation experiments without their knowledge or their consent, and the United States military's occupation of their islands 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 territory 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, for decades, the United States 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 sacrifices, the sons and daughters of the citizens 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 50 states of the United States; and

 

WHEREAS, the people of the Freely Associated States have also contributed greatly to Hawaii's understanding of the common cultural heritage and pride of all Pacific Islanders, such as through the traditional ocean navigation techniques kept alive and rejuvenated by the late "Papa" Mau Piailug; and

 

WHEREAS, despite the limited right to travel, reside, 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, one of the most egregious examples of such discrimination is the treatment of citizens of the Freely Associated States present in the United States under the Compacts of Free Association as a result of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which removed their previous eligibility for numerous federal benefits, including Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, housing, and other social safety nets that all citizens and most resident legal immigrants enjoy; and

 

WHEREAS, this discrepancy has resulted in harsh and disparate treatment of a significant number of Hawaii's resident citizens of the Freely Associated States, including the denial of medical access leading to adverse health consequences and even death; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that Congress is strongly urged to include resident citizens of the Freely Associated States as "qualified aliens" and restore their eligibility under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, in recognition of their historic and ongoing sacrifices and contributions to the United States unique to almost any other jurisdiction in the world; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, President of the United States, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

Report Title: 

Micronesia; Palau; Marshall Islands; Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act