Hirono-Backed Bill To Provide Long-Term IDs for FAS Citizens Passes Senate, Heads to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON,
DC –
The United States Senate unanimously passed legislation supported by Senator
Mazie K. Hirono that would remove existing barriers that limit citizens of the
Freely Associated States (FAS) from accessing long-term, REAL ID compliant,
state-issued driver’s licenses and identification.
The
bill, H.R. 3398, the REAL ID Act Modification for Freely Associated States Act,
corrects a mistake in the 2005 REAL ID Act that inaccurately identifies
citizens of the Freely Associated States as citizens of the “Trust Territories
of the Pacific Islands.” Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced
the legislation in the House of Representatives in July 2017, where
it passed in September 2018.
“It
makes no sense that FAS citizens, who are freely able to live and work in the
United States cannot obtain permanent, REAL ID compliant identification because
Congress made a mistake,” Senator Hirono said. “By fixing it, this
legislation will make it much easier for FAS citizens to maintain stable
employment and contribute to their adopted homes.”
“We
are thankful for Senator Hirono’s leadership in urging the Senate to pass H.R.
3398. This bill will enable Hawaii residents who are citizens of the Freely
Associated States to receive long-term driver’s licenses and state ID cards
which will facilitate their employment, housing, health care enrollment, and
more,” Jocelyn Howard, Program Director at We Are Oceania, said. “This
issue has been an unnecessary social and economic barrier for the FAS community
and we appreciate Senator Hirono’s continued support.”
Today’s
vote comes just days after Senator Hirono urged quick consideration of the bill
in
a letter she sent to her Senate colleagues, stating that the bill will
relieve an unnecessary burden, not just on FAS citizens residing in the United
States, but also on their employers and state agencies, as current practices
have resulted in higher administrative costs on states and local authorities to
annually renew and process identification cards and driver’s licenses.
The
bill also adds a subsection under the “Evidence of Lawful Status” that expands
the ability of citizens from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the
Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau to access longer-term
identification. According to a Census Bureau report from 2013, there are 14,700
FAS citizens living in Hawaii.
The
full text of the letter can be found below:
Dear
Colleague,
Please
join me in supporting H.R. 3398, the Real ID Act Modification for Freely
Associated States Act which unanimously passed the House.
Under
decades-old defense treaties with the U.S. known as the Compacts of Free
Association, Americans and citizens from the Federated States of Micronesia and
the Republics of the Marshall Islands and Palau (collectively known as the
Freely Associated States or FAS) are able to live and work in each other’s
country indefinitely as non-immigrants. The Compacts also allow FAS citizens to
serve in the U.S. military and FAS citizens enlist at per capita rates higher
than most U.S. states with many settling in the U.S. after serving. Upon entry
into the U.S., FAS citizens are issued appropriate documentation (I-94s) which
are marked with the traveler’s citizenship but do not indicate a date when
their status ends, as they are granted an unlimited length of stay pursuant to
the Compacts.
H.R.
3398 corrects an outdated term used in the 2005 Real ID Act that refers to the
now-defunct “Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands” (TTPI) rather than the
current FAS. This has resulted in unnecessary hardships placed on citizens of
three U.S. allies in the Pacific lawfully residing in our country.
The
error has denied these lawful U.S. residents anything more than a temporary ID
or driver’s license valid for one year and places an undue burden on their
ability to maintain stable employment and contribute to their adopted homes
like Springdale, Arkansas, one of the largest Marshallese communities outside the
Marshall Islands, Hawaii, and elsewhere. The error also adds unnecessary
administrative costs on states and local authorities to annually renew and
process identification cards and driver’s licenses.
The
Senate is now in a position fix the problem by passing the Real ID Act
Modification for Freely Associated States Act which would simply replace
references in the Act to the defunct TTPI with the FAS. Specifically the bill
adds a subsection in the Real ID Act under “Evidence of lawful status” that
states, “is a citizen of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated
States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau who has been admitted to the
United States as a nonimmigrant pursuant to a Compact of Free Association
between the United States and the Republic or Federated States.” This update in
terms is fully consistent with the original intent of Congress to provide FAS
citizens with access to longer-term identification. In addition, language identical
to H.R. 3398 has been included in the “Omnibus Territories Act,” which has
passed the Senate by unanimous consent in the past two Congresses, but has
never been acted on by the House.
Passing
this bill will relieve an unnecessary burden, not just on FAS citizens residing
in the U.S. but also on their employers and state agencies, and allow valuable
time resources to be redirected toward other priorities.
Sincerely,
MAZIE
K. HIRONO
U.S.
Senator
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