[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 65 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    INSULAR AREA MEDICAID PARITY ACT

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                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 2021

  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Northern Mariana 
Islands Wage and Economic Stability Act. This legislation delays for 18 
months, in the Marianas only, any national increase in the federal 
minimum wage that Congress may enact. My bill, also, requires a 
Government Accountability Office report on the economic impact in the 
Marianas of such a national wage increase.
  Unlike the rest of our nation, where minimum wage has been static, 
the minimum wage in the Marianas has more than doubled over recent 
years to reach the federal level of $7.25.
  These substantial increases have made life better for thousands of 
Marianas families and encouraged more U.S. workers to enter the 
workforce.
  But I had to carefully time those increases year-by-year with 
legislation and based on the help of Government Accountability Office 
reports to ensure--successfully--that wages went up without 
jeopardizing jobs.
  Economic conditions in the Marianas remain separate from the national 
situation. Whereas Gross Domestic Product rose nationally in 2019, in 
the Marianas GDP plunged 11.2 percent that year. That decline came 
after a 19.3 percent decrease in 2018. And it is reasonable to expect 
the picture in the Marianas for 2020 will be no better. Our tourism-
based economy will remain dormant until the pandemic has passed. 
Meanwhile, nationally, we expect growth on the order of 6 percent this 
year.
  My point is simply this: If we are going to raise the wage in the 
Marianas--and, believe me, I do--then we must do it as we did before: 
with a close eye on the economic conditions in the islands. They are 
vastly different than conditions in the nation as a whole.
  Again, I fully support raising the minimum wage in our country. It 
has been static too long. I am a cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act--I 
want workers to earn more.
  I believe the best way to accomplish that goal in the insular area I 
represent, however, is through my legislation, the Northern Mariana 
Islands Wage and Economic Stability Act. My bill will give Congress the 
analytical tools and the time to consider how best to schedule wage 
increases in the Marianas to improve the lives of workers and their 
families, while ensuring the businesses employing those workers can 
thrive.

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