{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sablan.house.gov/kilili-thanks-governor-support-hr-339", "Kilili thanks governor for support of HR 339", "2017-11-01", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "MP", "Gregorio Sablan", "S001177", "sablan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Marianas Variety \u2014 WASHINGTON, D.C. (Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) - U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan on Wednesday released his letter of thanks to Gov. Ralph D.L.G. Torres for the Governor\u2019s support of Sablan\u2019s bill, H.R. 339, increasing the number of CW permits available for the Marianas in 2017.\nThe legislation was signed into law by President Trump in August. The new Public Law 115-53 also blocks the use of CW permits for new construction work to protect local businesses unable to renew their legacy workers. And Sablan\u2019s law adds extra money for training local workers.\n\u201cIt was not easy to get a bill dealing with foreign labor issues enacted in this Congress,\u201d Congressman Kilili wrote to the governor. \u201cYour letter of support for the legislation and your participation in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing held in April contributed significantly to our success.\u201d\nGovernor Torres testified in person at a committee hearing. \u201cHR. 339 is a necessary and important piece of legislation that will improve our capacity to transition into the U.S. immigration system, and provide the CNMI the short-term relief it needs to retain critical employees for the economy and provide for the well-being of our population, especially in our health care system,\u201d the governor said.\nHe also addressed the surge of construction workers using up CW permits. \u201cRemoving construction workers from the eligible job categories for the CW permit will force employers to go to better suited visa classifications and alleviate the limited CW permits for occupations that are crucial for the overall economy and the needs of the people,\u201d Governor Torres told the U.S. Senate committee.\n\u201cIn my view, CW permits were only for job categories not available under existing visa classifications\u2026 construction workers could be sourced through H2-B visas,\u201d the governor added.\nIn his letter on Wednesday, Congressman Sablan told the governor that the enactment of H.R. 339 was a good indication that efforts to address the 2019 expiration of the Commonwealth-only Transitional Worker, or CW, program would also succeed.\n\u201cI am already working on that long-term solution with fellow members of Congress, who helped draft and pass Public Law 115-53,\u201d Congressman Kilili told the governor.\n\u201cAnd I look forward to continuing to work with you, also, to ensure that the Marianas has sufficient labor to keep our economy growing and that our U.S. labor force continues to expand.\u201d\nCongressman Sablan wrote similar thank-yous to other community leaders, who provided letters of support for H.R. 339, including Velma Palacios, president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce; Gloria Cavanagh, chairwoman of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands; Alexander A. Sablan of the CNMI Strategic Economic Development Council; and Esther L. Muna, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.\nAlong with his thank you letters, as a memento, Congressman Sablan sent a photo of the new law, signed by President Trump, framed with the pen that the president used.\nCongressman Sablan was in the Marianas in August, when the President signed H.R. 339 into law.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sablan.house.gov/kilili-thanks-governor-support-hr-339"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1400813236832619, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}