[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 6, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS AND AMERICAN SAMOA COLLEGE 
                               ACCESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2024

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. 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 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-
five years. We understand well that education is key to our continued 
growth, but the reality is that household incomes in the 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 available to 
our residents. Unfortunately, however, neither the Marianas nor 
American Samoa have a four-year institution of higher education. In 
fact, they are the only U.S. states or territories 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 $16,380 
in out-of-state tuition and fees more per year than their resident 
peers at public four-year colleges, according to College Board. That 
$16,380 differential puts a four-year college degree out of reach for 
many students from our islands where the median household income is 
$30,000. And many students in the Marianas and American Samoa wanting 
to attend a four-year university not only face the cost of out-of-state 
tuition, but also the significant expense of travel. The Marianas is 
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, which is over 
$800 one-way.
  The bill follows the model of P.L. 106-98, the D.C. 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. My legislation 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 Marianas and American Samoa.
  The gentlewoman 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 Marianas and American Samoa 
the means needed to make their educational dreams a reality.

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