Akaka seeks aid for Compact nations’ citizens

Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka has reintroduced a bill that would restore Medicaid eligibility for Compacts of Free Association nation citizens in the U.S.

Akaka said in a statement Thursday that state and territorial budgets — particularly in Hawaii and Guam — are strained by payments for the social service and public health needs of Compact of Free Association nation citizens. Under the compact, citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau are allowed to live and work in the U.S.

The 1986 agreement grants the U.S. the right to use defense sites in exchange for financial assistance and migration rights. The U.S. used the island nations for nuclear weapons testing from 1946 to 1958.

The bill was initially sponsored by Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.