[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 1, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





     NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS AND AMERICAN SAMOA COLLEGE ACCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 1, 2019

  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Northern Mariana 
Islands and American Samoa College Access Act, which would authorize 
tuition assistance grants to cover the difference between in-state and 
out-of-state tuition costs for Northern Marianas and American Samoa 
community college graduates seeking to attend a four-year public 
university.
   The importance of having an educated citizenry is a bedrock 
principle of our nation and has been since our founding. And in today's 
competitive job market, a postsecondary education is increasingly 
becoming a critical necessity for obtaining a decent job with a decent 
wage.
   The Northern Mariana Islands has only been part of America for forty 
years. We understand well that education is key to our continued 
growth, but the reality is that household incomes in the Northern 
Marianas are less than half the national median. The U.S. territory of 
American Samoa is in similar economic straits. Poverty and unemployment 
rates there are among the highest in the country.
   I believe the best way to improve economic conditions in these 
territories is to improve the educational opportunities of our 
residents. Unfortunately, however, neither the Northern Marianas nor 
American Samoa has a four-year institution of higher education. In 
fact, they are the only two congressional districts in the country 
without a public four-year college or university. Each has an 
accredited community college, but academic offerings are substantially 
limited.
   Students from these U.S. territories wanting the advantages of a 
four-year university in another state or territory face significant 
financial difficulty. Nonresident students spend an average of $14,480 
in out-of-state tuition and fees more per year than their resident 
peers at public four-year colleges, according to College Board. And 
many students in the Marianas and American Samoa wanting to attend a 
four-year university not only face the cost of nonresident tuition, but 
also the significant expense of travel. The Marianas are over 3,700 
miles from the nearest state, Hawaii--a $1,100 one-way trip by plane. 
American Samoa to Hawaii is over 2,500 miles, over $800 one-way.
   The bill follows the model of P.L. 106-98, the DC College Access 
Act, which allows students residing in the District of Columbia to 
apply for grants to help pay the cost of attending colleges outside 
D.C., but much smaller in scope and cost. It creates a program through 
which public four-year schools in the 50 states, D.C., and other U.S. 
territories may be reimbursed for offering in-state tuition to 
undergraduate students from the Northern Mariana Islands and American 
Samoa.
   The gentlelady from American Samoa, Mrs. Radewagen, is an original 
cosponsor of the bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation and help give students from the Northern Marianas and 
American Samoa the means needed to make their educational dreams a 
reality.

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