THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS - December 16, 2011

• Saipan District Office now open on Saturdays
• Stopping the wave of marine debris pollution
• USGS will publish earthquake hazards map so NMI can receive federal mitigation funds
• Rota agricultural homesteads move closer to development
• Postal Service delaying closures
• Assistance to Firefighters grantees in the Marianas and nationwide should be on the alert
• Marianas Eye Institute receives $231,366 USDA grant
• Opportunities: Federal contracts, grants, jobs for and in the Marianas

Saipan District Office now open on Saturdays.

We are committed to providing constituent services at the convenience of constituents. That’s why your Saipan District Office will now also be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Lots of people are not free to get to their congressional office during weekday business hours. They would prefer face-to-face contact rather than asking for help by telephone or e-mail. Or they find it easier to call on Saturday morning rather than when they are at work during the week. Whatever your particular situation, we hope Saturday hours will give you more access to your congressional office. We can provide help with federal agencies, if you are not getting the answer you need in a timely fashion. The congressional office is also the place to go for information about admission to the U.S. service academies and for federal financial assistance for education. For a complete list of constituent services go to www.sablan.house.gov. Or come in on Saturday and pick up a constituent services brochure. The Saipan District Office is located on the first floor of the Joeten Commercial Building II in Susupe. You can also contact the office by telephone at 670-323-2647/8. 

Stopping the wave of marine debris pollution.

“Our oceans have become a dumping ground,” testified Congressman Sam Farr (D-California) at a hearing this Thursday on H.R. 1171, the Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2011. As we all know well, lots of that trash lands on our shores in the Northern Mariana Islands. That’s why I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 1171 and, as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs, supported a hearing to move the bill forward. H.R. 1171 reauthorizes the Marine Debris program at the current funding levels of $10 million for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and $2 million for the U.S. Coast Guard for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2016. In 2009, the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance received a $100,000 grant from the Marine Debris program for a recycling effort aimed at reducing trash on our beaches. Reauthorizing the Act will make more funding opportunities available in the coming years. 

USGS will publish earthquake hazards map so NMI can receive federal mitigation funds.

Without a U.S. Geological Survey earthquake hazards map covering the Northern Mariana Islands, we are not eligible to apply for federal funds under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs. That’s why I raised the issue on Tuesday during the hearing on H.R. 3479, the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act. I got a commitment from USGS that the maps would be available early in 2012. The NMI is the only U.S. jurisdiction that does not have a seismic hazards map. H.R. 3479 reauthorizes several Federal natural hazards reduction programs such as the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). In the Mariana Islands region, earthquakes have been prevalent including this year’s violent 8.9 magnitude in Japan, and the 1993 earthquake in Guam that measured 7.8 magnitude, costing millions in damages. 

Rota agricultural homesteads move closer to development.

244 agricultural homesteads on Rota are closer to development following agreement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commonwealth Government regarding habitat protection for the Mariana crow. As Ranking Member on the subcommittee that oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service, I have raised the issue repeatedly, urging completion of the agreement. Local officials, including the Mayor of Rota, signed off on the memorandum of agreement on November 16. There are still steps to take, however. The USFWS must complete a biological opinion and evaluation of National Environmental Policy Act compliance, which is expected to be finished by the end of January. And the Commonwealth must designate 444 hectares of public land on Rota to be managed as a conservation area for the crow, although this can include the existing 277 hectare bird sanctuary. That will clear the way for homestead owners to begin developing their property, safe in the knowledge that we have protected the indigenous Mariana crow, so our children and their children can enjoy a biologically diverse environment. 

Postal Service delaying closures.

Earlier this month I joined 37 of my colleagues, led by Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), in objecting to the Postal Service's plan to reduce costs by closing more than half of its mail processing centers nationwide. This week, the Postal Service announced its decision to postpone these closures until May 2012. In the meantime, the agency will continue its review of facilities and holding public meetings on the closures. I understand the need to put the Postal Service on a sound fiscal footing, but we have to preserve service for the Marianas. First class mail, which already takes 7 to 10 days to reach the Marianas from the mainland, would be slowed even more. The impact on Rota and Tinian, which relies heavily on the U.S. Postal Service for shipping packages, would have been even greater. The delay is welcome news, and will allow additional time to work with the Postal Service to reduce potential impact on service to the Marianas. 

Assistance to Firefighters grantees in the Marianas and nationwide should be on the alert.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has issued a security warning to all Assistance to Firefighters Grant program applicants and grantees. Some grantees have reported being contacted by individuals claiming to represent credit agencies or grant-making institutions. These bogus phone calls, e-mails, or letters, requesting social security numbers, financial account information, or fees should be disregarded. FEMA stressed that they will never request identifying information about you or your organization by telephone, e-mail, or letter. FEMA maintains a secure e-Grant Application website where all such confidential information is submitted. Grant applicants or grantees are also warned that they are not required to pay any fee to register or update information in the Central Contractor Registry. If you have questions, contact your Regional Fire Program Specialist Mr. Doug Woods at douglas.woods@dhs.gov, or contact the AFG Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov. You may also contact your congressional office at kilili@mail.house.gov, 323-2647 at the Saipan office, 532-2647 at the Rota office, or 433-2647 at the Tinian office. 

Marianas Eye Institute receives $231,366 USDA grant.

Congratulations to Marianas Eye Institute for winning a $231,366 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program. The grant will assist the health clinics on Tinian and Rota to acquire and install vision diagnostic equipment and related computer devices that will connect directly to Marianas Eye Institute on Saipan. The remote equipment on Tinian and Rota will transmit images from the clinics there to doctors at the Marianas Eye Institute on Saipan for analysis and interpretation. This should give patients on Tinian and Rota the opportunity to care for their eyes without always having to bear the cost of travel to Saipan. Congress established this grant program to improve the quality of life and economic stability of communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers in rural America through the use of advanced telecommunications technologies. 99 projects in 34 states were awarded grants this year. 

OPPORTUNITIES: Federal contracts, grants, jobs for and in the Marianas

GRANTS:

• Environmental Justice Small Grants Program – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is inviting community-based organizations to apply for funding under the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. This program supports activities designed to educate, empower and enable communities to understand environmental and public health issues and to identify ways to address these issues at the local level. Closing date is February 29, 2012. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html.

JOBS:

• Laborer – The Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, is accepting applications for a Laborer position located in Andersen AFB, Guam. Major duties and responsibilities include operating large, complex riding lawn mowers and similar types of specialized mowing equipment and operating various controls and levers to maneuver equipment. Closing date is December 20, 2011. For more information, go to www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/305301600.
• Engineering Equipment Operator – The Department of the Air Force is accepting applications for an Engineering Equipment Operator in Guam. For the 254th Red Horse Squadron, Guam Air National Guard Andersen AFB, incumbent operates and trains on various types of heavy construction and maintenance equipment. Military membership in the Guam Air National Guard is mandatory. This job position is open until January 27, 2012. For more information, go to www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/305155200.
• Logistics Management Specialist – The Department of the Air Force, Air National Guard, is accepting applications for a Logistics Management Specialist in Guam. The primary purpose of this position is to implement logistics policy programs and procedures, utilizing automated/non-automated systems for the accurate control of logistical planning in support of unit tasked contingency operations. Military membership in the Guam Air National Guard is mandatory. Job position is open until January 27, 2012. For more information, go to www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/305155300.

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

THIS WEEK

On the floor

Conference Report on H.R. 1540 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Passed 283 – 136)

H.R. 3630 – Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 (Passed 234 – 193)

S. 384 – A bill to amend title 39, United States Code, to extend the authority of the United States Postal Service to issue a semipostal to raise funds for breast cancer research (Passed 417 – 1)

H.R. 2105 – Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act of 2011 (Passed 418 – 2)

H.Res. 376 – Calling for the repatriation of POW/MIAs and abductees from the Korean War (Agreed to by voice vote)

H.R. 3421 – Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act (Passed 416 – 0)

H.R. 3659 – Welfare Integrity and Data Improvement Act, as amended (Agreed to by voice vote)

H.R. 3672 – Making appropriations for disaster relief requirements for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes (Passed 351 - 67)

Conference Report on H.R. 2055 – Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (Passed 296 – 121)

NEXT WEEK

On the floor

H.R. 3630 – Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011