King-Hinds: CNMI deserves a strong, fearless advocate

Former Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair Kimberlyn King-Hinds said she is running for CNMI delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives because she believes the CNMI deserves a strong, fearless advocate who will fight for a future where the people are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

King-Hinds, who is a lawyer, said she has spent her career pushing for accountability and solutions, whether by challenging the federal government’s neglect or standing up for the community’s right to determine its own path. “With your support, I will continue to level up our islands, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive here at home,” said King-Hinds, appealing to voters in the Nov. 5 general elections.

King-Hinds is running under the CNMI Republican Party. She’s No. 3 in the ballot for the delegate position. The four other delegate candidates are House floor leader Rep. Edwin K. Propst (D-Saipan) of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands and independent candidates James Rayphand, Liana Hofschneider, and John Oliver Gonzales.

She said she has knocked on hundreds of doors and in these conversations, everyone’s kitchen table is being impacted by the state of the economy.

King-Hinds said those impacted are whether they are big or small businesses, working in the private or public sector, or the average citizen who can’t find a job or the retiree worrying if they will continue to get their full pension.

“The job of the delegate is to hear the cries of the people and bring them relief. People want the delegate to help bring economic stability to these islands,” she said.

If elected, one of King-Hinds’ priorities is to revitalize the tourism industry by fighting to restore Annex VI so that the CNMI can open up all markets.

Annex VI of the U.S.-China Civil Air Transport Agreement explicitly permits the airlines of the People’s Republic of China to offer unlimited scheduled air services between the PRC and the CNMI. It also states that these air services are not subject to limitations concerning flight designations or frequencies.

Other priorities of King-Hinds is to fight for common sense immigration and labor policy to ensure that the CNMI has adequate labor necessary to support current and emerging industries and to stabilize the Commonwealth’s decreasing population by expanding eligibility requirements to provide long-term status for those who have been in the CNMI for an extended period of time, regardless if they have U.S. citizen children or not.

King-Hinds said she will also work on lowering the cost of living by prioritizing the modernization of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. which will provide relief to rate payers, lower the cost of doing business in the CNMI and put more money in peoples’ pockets.

Her platforms for delegate are about leveling up, workforce development, immigration, education, economy, health, and military development.

She said by addressing critical issues in immigration, workforce development, education, the economy, health, and military development, they can build a future where the CNMI not only meets national standards but “sets new ones ourselves.”

On leveling up, which is also her campaign slogan, King-Hinds said it signifies not just personal growth, but also collective advancement.

“It’s about elevating our communities, enriching our culture, and empowering our people to reach new heights together,” she said.

King-Hinds said in the CNMI, leveling up is her commitment to building a brighter future for all, which means creating opportunities for economic prosperity, enhancing educational outcomes, improving healthcare access, and ensuring that the peoples’ unique cultural heritage is preserved and celebrated.

She said leveling up is about making sure that every resident of the CNMI can thrive in an environment that supports their ambitions and fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose.

She said this platform aims to outline the topics and policy areas that she seeks to address in her first term as delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

On workforce development, King-Hinds said the CNMI’s workforce faces immense pressure, with federal expectations to perform beyond their capacity without adequate support or resources.

“Workers are expected to carry heavy loads, sacrificing personal time and well-being to sustain the economy,” said King-Hinds, adding that the lack of local enforcement of federal labor laws leaves the CNMI workforce vulnerable and unsupported.

Her workforce development strategy is centered on securing greater funding to support workforce development initiatives and obtaining more data on the CNMI’s workforce.

She pointed out that increased technical assistance for the CNMI government on workforce development is also essential.

King-Hinds said the CNMI must pursue implementing specific funding objectives and pathways separate from Department of Interior Technical Assistance Program grants to fulfill the goals of 48 U.S.C. 1807 Technical Assistance. She vowed to secure funding for a comprehensive study of the CNMI’s workforce capacity and develop a long-range plan for workforce development funded through CW worker education fees.

King-Hinds said coordination and legislation to produce timely, accurate, and detailed workforce and immigration statistics will allow the CNMI to establish an adequate plan for the training and development of U.S. workers.

She will also secure funding for the extension of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement to the CNMI Department of Labor.

On immigration, King-Hinds said the federal mandate to transition the CNMI’s immigration system has eroded self-government, imposing unrealistic expectations on the CNMI without adequate federal resources or support. “This uncertainty has already stunted our development and affected investment decisions, creating a cloud of doubt about our future workforce and economic viability,” she said.

King-Hinds’ key goals in immigration focus on establishing a permanent and sensible program that allows businesses and the economy in the CNMI to access foreign workers to meet labor demands unmet by the local workforce.

She aims to expand long-term residency status for more foreign workers who have committed their lives to the advancement of the CNMI.

King-Hinds will also seek to simplify and streamline the processes for welcoming international visitors from source markets that will benefit the CNMI’s tourism-based economy.

She said coordination between local and federal processes is essential to reduce and eventually end birth tourism.

King-Hinds said enhancing federal enforcement of immigration violations is also a priority.

To achieve these goals, she proposed eliminating the termination date of the current transition program and replacing it with a permanent visa category for the Marianas region.

King-Hinds said this program would restructure permit allotments to not exceed 15,000, with mechanisms to adjust this number as needed to meet local workforce and economic needs.

She said local processing of Temporary Labor Certifications will be secured, along with building local capacity for U.S. workforce development.

She said the criteria for long-term worker classification will be broadened, and a pathway for CNMI-residency status for long-term foreign workers will be created.

King-Hinds said she will engage in concentrated conversations with the Department of Homeland Security to include more countries, such as the Philippines, in the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program.

She added that stakeholder meetings with airlines, hospitals, healthcare providers, and federal agencies will help develop a system to disincentivize travel to the CNMI for birth tourism.

She said increased federal enforcement presence and streamlined deportation processes for undocumented individuals who have committed crimes will further strengthen CNMI’s immigration system.

On education, King-Hinds said educational attainment levels in the CNMI do not meet national standards, and the CNMI institutions lack the funding and infrastructure to support teachers, staff, and students adequately. She said there is also a need for a curriculum that reflects CNMI’s unique cultural heritage while preparing students for the future.

King-Hinds goals for education include raising educational attainment levels in primary and secondary public institutions to meet or exceed national measurements.

She aims to develop the Northern Marianas College into an R1 research university and increase funding to support teachers and support staff directly interacting with students.

King-Hinds served as chairperson of the NMC Board of Regents from 2002 to 2006. King-Hinds will also seek increased infrastructure funding to advance the capabilities of the public schools.

To achieve these goals, King-Hinds said she will advocate for Sea Gant status for NMC, enhancing its research capabilities and access to federal funding for marine and environmental sciences.

She will pursue the inclusion of NMC in federal research grant programs offered by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

King-Hinds said securing federal grants and loans for the construction, renovation, and modernization of school facilities, including classrooms, laboratories, and technology centers, will ensure students have access to modern learning environments.

She will also pursue, among other things, federal grants for acquiring modern educational technology and implement programs to ensure all students have access to high-speed internet and digital learning resources.

Pertaining to the economy, King-Hinds said federal policies have historically posed significant threats to the CNMI’s economy, impacting the CNMI’s ability to sustain itself more than natural disasters, global pandemics, and geopolitical conflicts.

She said the lack of a cohesive federal and local policy on CNMI development leaves the community vulnerable to decisions made by individuals unfamiliar with CNMI’s unique challenges.

King-Hinds economic strategy involves coordinating a realistic and achievable plan for the CNMI as a U.S. Territory and effectively communicating this plan to Congress.

She aims to combat federal interference in CNMI economic growth and target federal resources and programs to address long-standing economic challenges.

King-Hinds said policies to achieve this include coordinating within Congressional Committees and Federal Agencies on short-term policy and developmental objectives for the CNMI, institutionalizing these objectives into the federal budget process and statutes, and coordinating with territorial offices on a unified position with territorial development.

She said she will utilize the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus to advance unified territorial policy.

Regarding health, King-Hinds said the CNMI faces significant health challenges, including high rates of noncommunicable diseases, methamphetamine addiction, domestic violence, and sexual abuse, coupled with inadequate federal support for Medicaid and healthcare infrastructure.

King-Hinds’ health strategy aims to secure federal recognition of substance abuse challenges in the CNMI and raise awareness and resources to support services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

She said she will seek parity with the states in the funding and treatment of CNMI Medicaid benefits and advocate for increased funding and on-island resources for medical treatment of veterans.

King-Hinds said policies to achieve these goals include pursuing greater federal resources to address long-standing issues related to methamphetamine addiction, securing more resources for domestic violence, and sexual abuse victim services, making the formula distribution of the Federal Medicaid Cost share permanent.

King-Hinds said she will work to remove the Medicaid cap permanently, restart presumptive eligibility for Medicaid enrollees, and target infrastructure funding to support Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. hospital development, upgrades, and electricity systems.

On military development, King-Hinds said the CNMI has faced unique challenges due to federal policies that do not align with the region’s specific needs, resulting in economic and infrastructural vulnerabilities.

Her goal is to integrate military development within the CNMI into a framework that supports national security

while promoting local economic growth.

She said by ensuring that military initiatives align with the CNMI’s economic and infrastructural needs, they can create a more secure and prosperous region.

To achieve these goals, King-Hinds will advocate for the establishment of permanent military installations in the CNMI, ensuring they align with the Covenant and Technical Agreement.

She said this includes securing federal funding and support for these installations to enhance regional security and create local job opportunities.

King-Hinds said she will push for a more collaborative approach between local and federal governments to address the unique challenges of the CNMI, such as labor shortages, shipping access, and infrastructure development.

As CPA board chair, she served as the lead negotiator for the divert airfield lease agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense and the CNMI.

King-Hinds fought against the U.S. Department of Defense to stop them from bombing Tinian and Pagan. Serafina King-Nabors, who was among the two first women representatives in the first CNMI Legislature, disclosed before that most people cautioned her daughter, Kimberlyn, against taking too strong of a stance against the U.S. military, with everyone calling it a David vs. Goliath battle, but not for Kimberlyn who took the challenge and fought with her whole heart.