This joint resolution approves and implements three updated free association agreements between the United States and three Pacific island nations: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. These agreements update compacts originally established in the 1980s and last amended in 2003.
The legislation approves amended compacts with Micronesia and the Marshall Islands signed in 2023, along with related agreements covering fiscal procedures, trust funds, and federal programs and services. It also approves Palau's 2023 compact review agreement. The bill authorizes the President to bring these agreements into force and requires that Congress must approve any future major amendments to these compacts before they take effect.
The bill appropriates funding for fiscal years 2024 through 2043, including $31.7 million annually to the U.S. Postal Service for mail services to these nations and other amounts to the Interior Department for economic assistance, education, health services, and infrastructure support. It also establishes several oversight mechanisms, including requirements for congressional committees to receive regular reports from these nations and federal agencies monitoring implementation.
Additionally, the legislation expands veterans' benefits, education grants, and health services available to citizens of these freely associated states. It strengthens federal coordination through an Interagency Group on Freely Associated States and increases State Department staffing dedicated to Pacific Island affairs. The bill also clarifies nuclear-related health care commitments to Marshall Islands residents affected by past U.S. nuclear testing.
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