Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, forty years ago, Jose Camacho Tenorio, a visionary businessman of the Northern Mariana Islands, saw the need and the opportunity for a locally-owned insurance agency in our island community. In response, he founded Pacifica Insurance Underwriters.

1973 was an exciting time in our islands. The Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America was in the midst of being negotiated. Commercial hotels were beginning to rise Japanese tourists and investors were just starting to appear on our shores.

Yet we were still very much in our economic infancy. Insurance coverage of any sort was difficult to obtain. Many individuals and many developing businesses did not even appreciate the value of insurance. Under these circumstances, I took great commitment and some courage to make the financial investment necessary to form Pacifica Insurance Underwriters.

The late Mr. Tenorio, affectionately known as ``Joeten,'' took up the challenge, and working with the family of a business associate, Pete Ada, Jr. of Guam, and with the Tokugoro Kuribayashi family of Japan, established Pacifica Insurance Underwriters and installed Joseph Screen, a former official of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, as the company's first corporate executive.

Pacifica then teamed up with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., a formidable Japanese insurer, and, as that company's general agent in the Northern Mariana Islands, began offering property and casualty, liability, and automobile insurance to businesses and individuals.

Over the years, Pacifica's business has grown: adding marine and workmen's compensation insurance, medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as term and whole life policies. Along the way, Pacifica entered into other general agency agreements with respected regional insurance companies Pacific Guardian Life and Century Insurance.

Throughout these four decades, Pacifica has lived up to the great responsibility of every insurer: Whether addressing a health issue, repairing a car, or recovering from natural or manmade disaster, when the need arises, they have been there for their customers.

In addition to writing thousands of policies annually across all lines of insurance, Pacifica has honored the legacy of its founders by becoming a valued corporate partner in our community. Still owned by its founding families and still run by Joeten's descendants, the company donates directly to schools, environmental groups, religious organizations, and other good causes. Pacifica makes substantial charitable donations through the Joeten Charitable Foundation. And its owners and employees individually lend their hands to a wide variety of community projects and events.

The Northern Mariana Islands has seen its share of economic highs and lows. In recent years, particularly, the insurance market has become more challenging, with increased competition, a decline in population, and a decreasing number of businesses. Through it all, Pacifica has remained consistent in its commitment to its employees, its customers, and our community.

We all feel proud when we witness a homegrown company with humble beginnings do well. So, please, join me in congratulating the owners and employees of Pacifica Insurance Underwriters on their fortieth anniversary, and in wishing them another forty years of success and growth.

Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago, Jose C. Tenorio, a visionary businessman of the Northern Mariana Islands, founded Pacifica Insurance Underwriters.

1973 was an exciting time in our islands. The Covenant was being negotiated. Hotels, tourists, and investors were starting to appear. Yet we were still in our economic infancy. Insurance was hard to obtain. Many did not appreciate the value of insurance. It took commitment and courage for the late Mr. Tenorio and his partners to invest in Pacifica.

Over 40 years, the business flourished, and Pacifica has lived up to the great responsibility of every insurer: when the need arises, they have been there for their customers. Pacifica has also set an example of corporate responsibility with contributions to worthy causes and with the volunteer activities of its employees throughout our community.

We feel proud to witness a homegrown company do well. So join me in congratulating the owners and employees of Pacifica Insurance Underwriters on their 40th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands know the terror when a typhoon strikes. We know how difficult are the days and months of recovery after, but none of us has known a storm with the power and intensity of Typhoon Yolanda.

So our hearts and our prayers go out to the people of the Philippines who are suffering through this terrible tragedy that swept down upon them.

We have families and friends there. Some, thank God, we know are safe. The fate of others we wait to learn and whether their homes are standing, whether they have food, water. All we know for certain is the people of the Philippines need our help. America is rising quickly to assist. Our government immediately committed $20 million. Disaster teams are on the way.

Much more will be needed from our government and from individuals alike, but I am sure we will all do whatever we can to assist the survivors who have lost so much and now face the long task of rebuilding their homes and lives.

Mr. Speaker, public education in the Northern Mariana Islands was transformed twenty-five years ago with the enactment of Public Law 6-10, the Education Act of 1988, creating an autonomous Public School System, overseen by an elected Board of Education, and administered by a Commissioner of Education. Establishment of a Public School System, outside of the executive branch of the Commonwealth government, coincided with a new period of political maturation, economic expansion, and population growth in the Northern Marianas; and the intervening years have proven the wisdom and value of this decision.

Twenty-five years ago, the Public School System comprised just over 6,000 students throughout 14 schools. Since then, PSS has grown dramatically. Student population is now 10,646, 75 percent greater. There are now 19 schools. Kagman High School, Chacha Ocean View Middle School, Kagman Elementary School, Saipan Southern High School, and Sinapalo Elementary School have all been constructed to better serve our students. And there are now 900 PSS personnel across the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

As PSS has grown in size, so have the achievements of our students. These future leaders of our community regularly participate in national scholastic competitions, winning awards for their acting talent, debate skills, spelling abilities, and science acuity. Their successes are testament not only to students' efforts, but also to the school system that supported them and helped shape their minds.

Just this year, the Marianas High School Aeronautical Dolphins won the national Real World Design Challenge here in Washington, DC. Each student on that team was awarded a $50,000 college scholarship.

For each of the past three years, PSS students have been recipients of Gates Millennium Scholarships, which pays for up to eight years of postsecondary education. This year alone three students from our small island community were awarded these scholarships. That is an amazing accomplishment--and a tribute to the efficacy of our public schools.

The Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Band and Marianas High School Choir have both received national recognition for their musical talents. Last summer, the Manta Rays were chosen to perform in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They participated in the London Celebration Music Festival, as well, and brought home a silver medal.

These achievements--academic and extracurricular--were made possible through the extraordinary and cumulative efforts of a group of individuals whose dedication knows no peer: the leaders, teachers, and staff of the Public School System. From science teacher to physical education instructor, maintenance employee to bus driver, each of these individuals makes their contribution to the educational success of our youth.

They are led by a Commissioner of Education, appointed by the Board of Education. Six men and women have served as Commissioner, each of whom has left an indelible imprint on PSS and the lives of its students.

The first Commissioner, Mr. Henry Sablan, led the organization through a period of transition from a Department of Education organized under the Office of the Governor to an autonomous public education system answerable to an elected Board. Dr. Elizabeth Diaz Rechebei then shepherded the school system for two years, followed by Mr. William S. Torres, who served for six years and initiated a move towards regional accreditation.

Dr. Rita Hocog Inos, in whose memory the junior and senior high school on the island of Rota is named, served as Commissioner of Education for eight years and implemented the SAT10 testing program and standards-based assessment for students, as well as the PRAXIS highly qualified teacher initiative for instructional staff. Dr. David Borja then led the system for two years, followed by our current Commissioner, Dr. Rita A. Sablan.

Dr. Sablan has, since assuming her role in 2008, focused tremendous attention on student academic achievement and guided the organization through a period of declining financial resources and increasing performance standards.

Thanks to the cumulative efforts of these six leaders, and their thousands of colleagues over the years, our students are performing better than ever on SAT10 tests, standards-based assessments, and on STAR reading and STAR math assessments. That performance is reflected in the 60 percent of graduating high school seniors who go on to college. Another 30 percent choose to serve our country in the armed forces. And 10 percent join the workforce.

Please join me in saluting those elected officials who, twenty-five years ago, recognized the value of an autonomous education system in the Northern Mariana Islands and enacted the Education Act. Also, join me in celebrating the many who built upon that foundation. The prescience of those leaders, and the hard work and dedication of the members of the Board of Education, the Commissioners, and the thousands of instructors and staff has brought us to the present-day successes of our Public School System.

Each and every individual who contributed to this achievement deserves the esteem and gratitude of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. Speaker, public education in the Northern Mariana Islands was transformed 25 years ago by the Education Act of 1988, creating an autonomous public school system outside of the executive branch of government, overseen by an elected board of education.

This decision coincided with a period of political maturation, economic expansion, and population growth on the islands; and the intervening years have proven its value. PSS students are excelling, winning national awards for their acting talent, debate skills, spelling abilities, and science acuity.

This year alone, the Marianas High School Aeronautical Dolphins won the national Real World Design Challenge and $50,000 scholarships for each team member. Three students were awarded Gates Millennium scholarships. It is the third year in a row students from our small community have won. Last summer, Saipan Southern High School's Manta Ray Band performed at the Olympics and brought home a silver medal from the London Celebration Music Festival.

These achievements were made possible through the extraordinary and cumulative support of the leaders, teachers, and staff of the public school system.

Please join me in saluting PSS for 25 years of service to our youth.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act would transfer 322 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands to the Powell, Wyoming, Recreation District. Currently, the Powell Recreation District manages a shooting range on these lands.

We have no objections to this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Denali National Park Improvement Act allows the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits for specified small hydroelectric power facilities within the park boundaries. The legislation allows the park service to exchange approximately 18 acres of park land. Finally, the bill provides for right-of-ways for a natural gas pipeline and other natural gas distribution infrastructure.

We have no objections to this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act of 2013 conveys 67 acres of National Park Service property to the State of Mississippi. We have no objections to this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of S. 256. The bill conveys to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 3 miles of surrounding submerged lands, providing parity with America's other coastal States and territories.

S. 256 also provides for a hiatus in 2013 and 2015 of the annual 50- cent increase in minimum wage in the Northern Marianas, while retaining the mandate to reach the Federal level.

I want to thank the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Ron Wyden, and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski for introducing S. 256 at my request. Its companion, H.R. 573, passed the House unanimously in May of this year, as did predecessor bills in the 111th and the 112th Congresses.

Thanks also to leaders and staff from both sides of the aisle: Chairman Doc Hastings of the House Natural Resources Committee and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio; Chairman John Fleming on the Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs Subcommittee; and the chairman on the Education and the Workforce Committee, John Kline, and Ranking Member George Miller. Their assistance reflects a longstanding tradition of treating territorial issues as essentially nonpartisan.

To summarize briefly, the Northern Mariana Islands is the only U.S. coastal jurisdiction that does not have ownership of the submerged lands off its coast. S. 256 corrects that irregularity and provides the same ownership rights over the submerged lands surrounding the Northern Marianas as are provided by Federal law to Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.

Additionally, S. 256 reschedules the rate of increase of the minimum wage in the Northern Mariana Islands, but it retains the mandate to reach the Federal minimum wage level, which will occur in 2018. The wage has risen 82 percent since 2007--16.5 percent each year.

The Government Accountability Office has reported uncertainty over how this rapid change affects the local economy, especially given the negative GDP in most of those years. Congress previously provided for the scheduled 2011 increase to be skipped. In light of continuing unpredictability of the impact of annual increases on an economy where as much as 80 percent of the hourly paid workforce will be affected, similar deferrals of the 2013 and 2015 increases are advisable.

I ask for Members to support S. 256 today as the House has supported these same proposals in the past.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield such time as he may consume to my friend, the distinguished gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I would like to thank Doc Hastings for a wonderful way of managing bills. This is probably at the fastest pace, and we should do this more often.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 459 transfers administrative jurisdiction of Forest Service lands in South Dakota to the National Park Service. These lands will be used by the Park Service to provide a visitor facility and administrative site for the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in Philip, South Dakota.

We support S. 459 and urge its passage by the House today.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and so in record time, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, education is the most important tool we have to encourage economic development. This is true for our country and it is especially true for my district, the Northern Mariana Islands.

If we give our young people a fine education, they will use that education to improve their communities--both economically and by being responsible citizens.

That's why I want to make sure that students in the Northern Mariana Islands get the same support from our federal government that students in every other part of America receive.

Unfortunately, the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act does not provide parity in federal support for my students.

Title I-A, specifically, by setting aside just one percent of total funding to be shared by the Bureau of Indian Education and the ``outlying areas'' of American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands effectively short-changes the students I represent.

Just as Title I students everywhere in America, my students come from families that do not have a lot of money for books and basic supplies and educational experiences. That's why Title I exists: to help make up the difference for students unlucky enough to be born to parents who don't have much money.

But the one percent set-aside in current law--of which only about one-quarter goes to the outlying areas--is not making up that difference.

For that reason, I support the Democratic alternative to H.R. 5.

The Democratic alternative, Mr. Miller's substitute amendment, acknowledges that a disparity exists. And it offers a solution.

The amendment would reserve one-half of one percent for the outlying areas, exclusively, effectively doubling the current set-aside. Northern Marianas students will still not be getting the same level of federal assistance they would if they lived in a State. Nevertheless, this would be a significant improvement.

To ensure that this increase for the outlying areas will not mean a decrease for States, the enhanced set-aside funding is only triggered when, and if, there is an overall increase in Title I funding.

So, this is only a partial solution and is contingent upon a set of circumstances that at the moment seems unlikely to happen.

But the Democratic alternative does recognize that we have to do something to get us closer to the ideal of equal opportunity for all of our students. For that reason I support the proposal and I thank Mr. Miller for making it part of his Democratic alternative.

I urge my colleagues to support the substitute amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

From his days in the California State House and now here in Congress, Congressman Jared Huffman has been a leader in protecting our valuable natural resources. H.R. 1411 is a fine example of this commitment and office leadership. Congressman Huffman's bill incorporates the area known as the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands into the California Coastal National Monument.

The bill gives permanent protection to 1,255 acres of wetlands along the Mendocino County coast. The area provides habitat for endangered species, including the Point Arena mountain beaver and the Behren's silverspot butterfly. The Garcia River running through it shelters steelhead and silver and king salmon.

While I have the floor, I also want to commend Congressman Huffman for his efforts to protect sharks. In the California Legislature, Congressman Huffman wrote the law banning wasteful trade in shark fins. Here in Congress, he led the effort to protest when the Commerce Department proposed regulations preempting State laws against shark finning.

The Northern Mariana Islands, which I represent, has enacted a similar law. So along with other Members who respect State authority, I cosigned Congressman Huffman's letter asking NOAA to withdraw its proposed regulation.

Again, I commend Mr. Huffman for his dedication to protecting our natural resources, and I ask all my colleagues to support H.R. 1411.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This legislation provides commonsense access to maintain water facilities within the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area. These water features were present prior to the congressional designation of ``wilderness'' and are necessary to protect individual water rights in the State.

I applaud Chairman Simpson for his legislation, and I support the passage of this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This is a very important issue before us today. The Senate amended H.R. 588 to allow any new memorial in D.C. to acknowledge donors.

The original bill passed by the House only allowed donor acknowledgement for the Vietnam Memorial Visitor Center. The Senate amendment also provided a 4-year extension of the legislative authority for the Vietnam Memorial Visitors Center.

The resolution before us today would narrow the Senate language back to apply only to the Vietnam Memorial Visitor Center while continuing to provide the visitor center with a 4-year extension of their authorization.

Mr. Speaker, our preference would be to send a bill to the President to sign today; however, the majority is insisting on amending the Senate legislation and sending this bill back to the Senate instead of to the President. While we do not object to a policy of allowing donor acknowledgement, we are concerned that amending the Senate amendment will unnecessarily delay enactment of this legislation.

Given this is the only option we have to support the Vietnam Memorial Visitor Center, we support passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield as much time as he may consume to a Vietnam War veteran, the distinguished gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 253 provides for conveyance of approximately 80 acres of Forest Service lands to Brigham Young University. We do not object to this legislation.

At this time, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.