THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS - August 21, 2020

Aug 23, 2020

In this issue:

· Schools reopen: parents need leave

· Tools for a safe return to school

· Legislative consultations

· Protect our mail!

· Mail delays threaten vets’ health

· $1.1m for coastal resources

· Telework update

· Kilili Time Capsule

· Opportunities

· Legislative highlights

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School reopens: parents need leave

Congress provided in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that some employers must offer employees paid leave, when their childrens’ schools are closed because of the virus. But Trump administration rules implementing the Act are unclear on whether that leave is available when schools are using a hybrid model, like the Marianas Public School System, with a mix of online and in-person education. So, this week in my capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, along with Rep. Alma Adams, who chairs the Subcommittee on Workforce Protection I wrote the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division requesting they amend their guidance to cover the hybrid model. Working parents need maximum flexibility in dealing with the impact of coronavirus on their children.

Tools for a safe return to school

Resources are now available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to keep students, their families, and school staff coronavirus-free as school resumes. Parents can review the CDC’s Back-to-School checklist on how to protect the health of students, who may be attending some classes in-person under the Marianas Public School System’s hybrid learning structure, and how to help students attending online to structure their days for effective learning. Teachers and administrators may consult CDC guidance and frequently asked questions about classroom hygiene and reopening schools safely. The Public School System plans to resume most classes beginning September 8.

Protect our mail!

Marianas residents rely on the U.S. Postal Service to stay connected with family and friends, ship essential items, and provide maximum participation in local elections through the delivery of absentee ballots. That is why I joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Committee on Oversight and Reform Chair Carolyn Maloney, and 172 of my Democratic colleagues in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy raising concerns about his policies that undermine postal operations and increase mail delivery delays. I have also cosponsored H.R. 8015, the Delivering for America Act, introduced by Chair Maloney, that bars any reduction in postal services, provides $25 billion in emergency funding to ensure timely delivery, and requires all election mail be treated as First Class. Despite Postmaster DeJoy’s recent suspension of his policies to cripple mail delivery, there was no promise to roll back the changes he already put in place. So, the House will vote on the Delivering for America Act on Saturday.

Mail delays threaten vets’ health

Thursday, I signed on to a second letter Postmaster General Louis DeJoy this time highlighting the harm recent mail delays are having on veterans, who receive prescription medications by mail. This is particularly a problem for veterans in remote and rural areas, such as the Marianas. The Department of Veterans Affairs fills approximately 80 percent of prescriptions by mail, approximately half a million prescriptions every day. The VA will not process a refill until 7-10 days before a veteran’s current supply is scheduled to run out and new Postal Service policies and procedures are forcing veterans to wait up to three weeks or longer to receive life-saving medications. It is also reported that medications are sitting at post offices for days prior to delivery, potentially impacting the effectiveness and safety of these drugs. The Postal Service must address the delays immediately to reduce the risk to veterans’ health.

$1.1m to manage coastal resources

The Division of Coastal Resources Management is receiving $1,133,000 in National Coastal Zone Management Program grant funds, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management announced Friday. Funds will be used to help administer the Commonwealth’s federally approved coastal management program by supporting staff salaries, an annual internship program to help college students prepare for careers in coastal resource management, and other coastal management initiatives including coastal permitting, enforcement, and public outreach events, including the annual international coastal cleanup. The grant will also help fund improvements to ensure safe and sustainable tourism can continue in the Northern Marianas. The National Coastal Zone Management Program is a voluntary federal-state partnership that protects, restores, and responsibly develops coastal communities and resources by balancing economic development, coastal uses, and natural resource protection. Congratulations to DCRM.