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<home> -- <press releases> News from Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo Assistant Secretary Babauta Agrees to Reprogram Federal Funds for Guam DOE Agreement Will Preserve Jobs at Guam DOE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 19, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today announced that Assistant Secretary Tony Babauta of the U.S. Department of the Interior has agreed to her request that Governor Felix Camacho be given the authority to utilize $5 million in Compact Impact funding as bridge financing for the Guam Department of Education. This announcement by Assistant Secretary Babauta comes after the possibility that a number of federally funded employees at the Guam Department of Education would be laid off for lack of funding. The Government of Guam was recently awarded $16,827,026, in Compact Impact funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior on October 26, 2009. Assistant Secretary Babauta informed the Congresswoman that he would approve the reprogramming of up to $5 million of Compact Impact funding for the Guam Department of Education which will be repaid from the Department of Education once a third-party fiduciary is appointed and federal funding is restored. “This authority would allow the Guam Department of Education to keep needed personnel in place and to continue providing educational services through federally funded programs,” Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo said today. “Assistant Secretary Babauta and I discussed this option, and we both agreed that it would prevent the layoffs of employees at the Guam Department of Education whose positions may be dependent on federal funding currently being withheld. This bridge financing would ultimately need to be repaid, but it would allow the Guam Department of Education more time to hire a third party fiduciary to address the U.S. Department of Education’s concerns. I commend Assistant Secretary Babauta for his leadership in ensuring that classes will not be disrupted and programs that affect our most vulnerable students continue.” # # # matthew.mateo@mail.house.gov or derek.mandell@mail.house.gov |
