Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia

FSM Congress News, September 25, 2002

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): September 25, 2002 - Speaker Jack Fritz, on September 10, 2002, called the Fourth Regular Session of the 12th Congress to convene on October 14, at 10:00 A.M. in Palikir, Pohnpei State. The 30-day session, according to Fritz's letter to President Leo A. Falcam, will deliberate on issues of importance to the Nation and the people. This will be the last regular session of the 12th Congress. Speaker Jack Fritz, as is the practice of all congressional sessions, invited the president, the vice president, members of the cabinet, members of the diplomatic corps and any interested citizen who wants to observe the opening day or throughout the 30-day session.

One possible item on the top of the agenda for the session might be a review of the FSM Health Insurance program, the restructuring of which has been at issue for quite some time.

The Health, Education and Social Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, shall call for public hearings and shall invite input from all appropriate officials and interested persons who can contribute to make the program better for the people of the nation. The time and place of such public hearings will be posted once decided by the Committee.

Congress will be hiring temporary pages for the session and preparation for the session at the central office is on going now.

Members from Yap, Kosrae and Chuuk states will be coming in to Pohnpei on the second week of October, prior to the Monday, October 14, opening day of the session.

The campaign for the upcoming March 2003 congressional elections are starting to take shape, especially in the state of Chuuk where more incumbents are faced with new challengers.

Chairman Many Mori and Vice Chairman Henry Asugar of the Congressional Committee on Ways and Means, Congressional Director of Budget Ignatius Manglay, Budget Annalyst Alfred Ansin and Director of Administration Suda S. Rayel along with officials from the FSM Department of Finance and Administration last week traveled to Hawaii to attend an investment seminar hosted by Merrill Lynch The seminar will run from September 23 through 25.

The staff of the Congressional Central office in Palikir, during the month of July, very generously donated several bags of clothing to the people of Chuuk who suffered losses due to Typhoon Chataan. The donations found its way to Chuuk by the generosity of the Red Cross and the Continental Airlines in Pohnpei.