PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Congressional Research Service
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People & committees
Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] · R–MP
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 20, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-10 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Affordable Power for the Northern Marianas Act would direct $15 million annually from existing capital-project funding to the Northern Mariana Islands, starting in fiscal year 2027. It would fund immigration, labor, or law enforcement needs first, within a $3 million cap, and support electricity infrastructure serving the territory’s public utility. Electricity projects would receive an exemption from local matching payments. A successor funding agreement would replace these arrangements.
This Act may be cited as the Affordable Power for the Northern Marianas Act.
for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter except as provided in subsection (d), $15,000,000 shall be allocated for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
(1) Not more than $3,000,000, to address immigration, labor, or law enforcement issues in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
shall first make funds available for the purposes described in paragraph (1) of that subsection before making any funds available for any of the purposes described in paragraph (2) of that subsection
shall ensure that such projects are carried out by, through, or for the benefit of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation or any successor public utility responsible for electric service in the Commonwealth
notwithstanding any other provision of law, shall not require any local matching or cost-sharing requirement with respect to such projects.
Beginning October 1 of the first year for which such successor multi-year funding agreement takes effect, financial assistance to the Commonwealth shall be provided in accordance with the amounts, purposes, terms, and conditions established by such agreement and the Act of Congress approving or implementing such agreement.
The bill would allocate $15 million each fiscal year from capital-improvement funds under the existing Covenant funding agreement, beginning in fiscal year 2027 and subject to the successor-agreement termination provision. This directs the use of existing funding rather than expressly adding $15 million to its total.
Of the amounts made available for capital improvement projects in accordance with the funding agreement (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act) entered into pursuant to section 702 of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America (48 U.S.C. 1801 note), for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter except as provided in subsection (d), $15,000,000 shall be allocated for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Secretary of the Interior would have to make funding available for immigration, labor, or law enforcement issues before making any available for electricity projects. Those first-priority purposes could receive no more than $3 million; the bill does not require the full $3 million.
(1) Not more than $3,000,000, to address immigration, labor, or law enforcement issues in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
In making funds available pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior— (1) shall first make funds available for the purposes described in paragraph (1) of that subsection before making any funds available for any of the purposes described in paragraph (2) of that subsection
Eligible electricity projects would include modernizing, replacing, repairing, strengthening, or expanding the territory’s electricity system. Funding could cover generation equipment and supporting fuel, storage, power-line, control, and communication infrastructure.
For capital infrastructure projects that modernize, replace, repair, rehabilitate, harden, expand, or otherwise improve the affordability, reliability, efficiency, resilience, and stability of the Commonwealth’s electric energy generation system, including fuel, storage, transmission, distribution, control, communication, and other infrastructure necessary to support, integrate, operate, or stabilize electric generation resources.
The Secretary would have to prioritize electricity projects reasonably expected to lower or stabilize rates, reduce fuel or operating costs, limit exposure to changing fuel prices, improve efficiency, or reduce outages and their economic costs. These are project-selection expectations, not guaranteed results.
shall give priority to projects reasonably expected to reduce or stabilize electricity rates, reduce fuel or operating costs, reduce exposure to fuel price volatility, improve generation or system efficiency, or reduce the frequency, duration, or economic cost of electric service interruptions
Electricity projects would have to be carried out by, through, or for the benefit of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation or its successor public electricity utility. The wording allows projects benefiting the utility without requiring the utility itself to perform every project.
shall ensure that such projects are carried out by, through, or for the benefit of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation or any successor public utility responsible for electric service in the Commonwealth
The Secretary could not require local matching funds or cost sharing for these electricity projects, even if another law would require it. This means a required local contribution toward project costs would be waived.
notwithstanding any other provision of law, shall not require any local matching or cost-sharing requirement with respect to such projects.
Except for the successor-agreement provision, the bill would preserve the overall capital-improvement funding total for all covered island jurisdictions and the overall amounts available to them under the two cited provisions of existing law.
Except as provided in subsection (d), nothing in this Act may be construed to alter or affect— (1) the total amount made available for capital improvement projects for any fiscal year for all insular areas in accordance with the funding agreement entered into pursuant to section 702 of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act); or (2) the total amount otherwise made available for all insular areas pursuant to subsections (b) and (c) of section 4 of Public Law 94–241 (48 U.S.C. 1804(b) and (c)).
The special funding arrangement would end when a successor multiyear agreement replaces the referenced 2004 agreement. Beginning October 1 of the first year covered by that successor agreement, assistance would follow its amounts, purposes, terms, and conditions and the law approving or implementing it. The bill gives no fixed calendar year for that transition.
The date described in this subsection is the date on which there enters into effect a successor multi-year funding agreement to the agreement entered into in 2004 pursuant to section 702 of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America and as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
Beginning October 1 of the first year for which such successor multi-year funding agreement takes effect, financial assistance to the Commonwealth shall be provided in accordance with the amounts, purposes, terms, and conditions established by such agreement and the Act of Congress approving or implementing such agreement.
The supplied action snapshot, updated August 20, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources on August 10, 2026. It does not establish subsequent legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-20T14:10:18Z. 2026-08-10: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. 2026-08-10: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-10. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains a possible provision outside the bill’s main electricity subject. This is a subject-matter assessment, not a documented amendment attachment history.
The allocation of up to $3 million for immigration, labor, or law enforcement is a possible unrelated provision because the text does not connect those purposes to the electricity improvements that form the bill’s main subject.
This Act may be cited as the Affordable Power for the Northern Marianas Act.
(1) Not more than $3,000,000, to address immigration, labor, or law enforcement issues in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
For capital infrastructure projects that modernize, replace, repair, rehabilitate, harden, expand, or otherwise improve the affordability, reliability, efficiency, resilience, and stability of the Commonwealth’s electric energy generation system
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
Evidence is limited
The text supports identifying a geographic allocation for scrutiny, but the supplied evidence does not establish whether it is outside an existing formula or qualifies as a formal earmark.
The bill would reserve $15 million annually for the Northern Mariana Islands from an existing capital-improvement funding agreement. This is a place-specific allocation, but the agreement’s allocation rules are not supplied, so the text alone does not establish earmark status.
Of the amounts made available for capital improvement projects in accordance with the funding agreement (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act) entered into pursuant to section 702 of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America (48 U.S.C. 1801 note), for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter except as provided in subsection (d), $15,000,000 shall be allocated for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text includes a narrow exemption from local project-funding requirements directly related to its electricity policy.
Electricity projects carried out by, through, or for the benefit of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation or its successor public utility would be exempt from local matching and cost-sharing requirements despite other laws. This provides special treatment for these projects; the source does not establish how much local funding would otherwise be required.
shall ensure that such projects are carried out by, through, or for the benefit of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation or any successor public utility responsible for electric service in the Commonwealth
notwithstanding any other provision of law, shall not require any local matching or cost-sharing requirement with respect to such projects.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 20, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI