url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/kilili-congratulates-alejandro-mayorkas-new-dhs-deputy-secretary,"Kilili congratulates Alejandro Mayorkas, new DHS Deputy Secretary",2013-12-30,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan says he applauds the recent promotion of Alejandro Mayorkas to be Deputy Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security.  Mayorkas previously served as Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and has had a critical, decision-making role in the transition to federal management of immigration in the Northern Marianas. He was sworn in as Deputy Secretary on December 23.
            “I congratulate Mr. Mayorkas on his nomination by the President and applaud the Senate for agreeing to fill this top leadership position at the Department of Homeland Security with someone who understands the challenges facing the Northern Mariana Islands,” said Congressman Sablan.
            “I also extend my deepest appreciation to Mr. Mayorkas for all he has done as USCIS Director over the last five years to help make the immigration transition as least difficult as possible.”
            Mayorkas played a critical role in the decision to extend humanitarian parole to persons who were born in the Northern Marianas between 1974 and 1978 but who did not have U.S. citizenship, to persons with Northern Marianas Permanent Resident status and their immediate relatives, and to the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. People in these situations previously had legal status under Commonwealth immigration law.
The parole policy Mayorkas approved allowed these individuals the opportunity to remain and work in the Northern Marianas legally. Without parole they would have been forced to leave the after November 28, 2011.
            “Director Mayorkas called me personally on Thanksgiving Day in 2011 to tell me about that decision,” Sablan said.
            “I thought of all the families I had knew, who were facing separation until that moment. It is a Thanksgiving Day I will always remember.”
Originally, the parole for these people was to be available through the end of 2012.  At Congressman Sablan’s request, however, Mayorkas later provided a two-year extension of the parole eligibility.
Protection for caregivers
Mayorkas can also be credited for the parole policy for caregivers in the Northern Marianas.
Under local immigration law, families had been able to employ in-house caregivers to tend to older parents or to younger family members with disabilities. But the federal regulations on foreign workers issued in September 2011 did not provide any immigration status for these caregivers.
Congressman Sablan arranged for USCIS officials from Washington and from the Honolulu regional office to meet with him and some of the caregiver families in the Saipan congressional office in September.
That face-to-face meeting had an impact. One month later Mayorkas announced that caregivers, too, would be eligible for humanitarian parole.
“The Northern Mariana Islands could not ask for anyone more knowledgeable about our immigration issues or more compassionate in executing the law of the land to serve as second in command at Homeland Security than Alejandro Mayorkas. I wish him every success in his new role.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/dod-budget-has-293m-divert-airfield-nmi,DoD budget has $29.3M for divert airfield in NMI,2013-12-29,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"President Barack Obama signed into law on Thursday (Friday, CNMI time) the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014 that provides $29.3 million for the development of a U.S. Air Force divert airfield in the CNMI. The new law also requires the Pentagon to report to Congress by June 25 the feasibility of having a National Guard in the CNMI and American Samoa. The defense bill also includes almost $495 million in spending for military construction projects in Guam. “Our economy could definitely use that money,” Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) told Saipan Tribune, referring to the $29.3 million for the development of a divert airfield in the CNMI. The divert airfield is intended to be an alternative landing base for Air Force planes if Andersen Air Force Base in Guam becomes unavailable because of weather or war.  Sablan worked with the U.S. House Armed Services Committee to place some limits on the Air Force, because there is still a question about where to put this facility: on Tinian or Saipan.  “I think that Northern Marians officials decided long ago that Tinian would be the preferred location for military expansion in the Northern Marianas, but the Air Force has other ideas. So, at my request, the Committee report directs the Air Force to work with the governor to find a mutually agreeable resolution to this siting issue,” Sablan said. The delegate added that the Air Force is also barred from spending any of the $29.3 million until it reports to Congress on all the alternatives that have been considered, the overall construction requirements, and the cost/benefits of options for the land needed. Gov. Eloy S. Inos said last week that the CNMI remains unified in its voice to have a divert airfield on Tinian where two-thirds of lands are already leased to the U.S. Department of Defense, instead of Saipan where the U.S. military had planned on placing it. The governor told the Air Force that its request to lease 33 acres of land on Saipan for the next 50 years “is quite an undesirable conclusion as it would impede future commercial development in the area.” H.R. 3304 or the 2014 NDAA also moves the Commonwealth toward possibly having its own National Guard.  DoD now has 180 days to report to Congress on the feasibility of having the CNMI’s own National Guard, just like Guam and all of the other states and territories, except American Samoa.  “We have 16 of our people deployed with the Guam National Guard—and returning safely home soon. So, clearly, there is an interest. But do we have enough people for a full Guard unit? Do we have the needed infrastructure? Will our local legislature support establishing a Northern Marianas National Guard? These are the questions the report will answer. And we should know by June 25,” Sablan said. Sablan introduced legislation in 2011 to set up a CNMI unit of the National Guard. Besides the CNMI-specific provisions, the annual Defense authorization makes some other changes worth noting. Sablan said military personnel will be getting a 1-percent raise.  “And the new law addresses the issue of sexual assault in the military, which is a problem that seems to be increasing and puts anyone in the armed service—men and women—including our people from the Northern Marianas, at risk. The new law bars commanders from overturning jury convictions in assault cases; and it mandates dishonorable discharge for anyone convicted—all steps in the right direction,” he said. Obama, in a statement, said the defense measure is a “welcome step” toward closing Guantanamo Bay prison. “The detention facility at Guantanamo continues to impose significant costs on the American people. I am encouraged that this Act provides the Executive greater flexibility to transfer Guantanamo detainees abroad, and look forward to working with Congress to take the additional steps needed to close the facility,” the president said.
https://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=152580&cat=1",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/divert-field-nmi-national-guard-pay-raise-sexual-assault-all-part-new-defense-law,"Divert field, NMI National Guard, pay raise, sexual assault all part of new defense law",2013-12-27,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"On Thursday, the President signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, which contains important provisions specific to the Northern Mariana Islands. $29.3 million will be available for a divert airfield in the NMI to use if Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base is closed by weather or war. But I also worked with the House Armed Services Committee to place limits on the money because of the question of siting: Tinian or Saipan? I think we decided long ago that Tinian is the preferred location for military expansion in our islands, but the Air Force has other ideas. So, at my request the Committee report directs the Air Force to work with the Governor to find a mutually agreeable resolution to this siting issue; and the law bars any expenditure of the $29.3 million until Congress gets a look at all the alternatives that have been considered. The NDAA also gives the Defense Department 180 days to report to Congress on the feasibility of a Northern Marianas National Guard, just like Guam and all of the other states and territories, except American Samoa, have. We have 16 of our people deployed with the Guam National Guard – and returning safely home soon. So, clearly, there is an interest. But do we have enough people for a full Guard unit? Do we have the needed infrastructure? Will our local legislature support establishing a Northern Marianas National Guard? These are the questions the report will answer. I introduced legislation in 2011 to set up an NMI unit. If the feasibility study comes back positive, we could push towards that goal. We should know by June 25. Besides these Northern Marianas specific provisions the annual defense authorization makes some other changes worth noting: Our military personnel will be getting a 1 percent raise. And the new law addresses the issue of sexual assault in the military, which is a problem that seems to be increasing and puts anyone in the armed service – men and women, including our people from the Northern Marianas – at risk. The new law bars commanders from overturning jury convictions in assault cases; and it mandates dishonorable discharge for anyone convicted – all steps in the right direction.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-expresses-concern-over-allegations-misconduct-against-fishery-council,Kilili expresses concern over allegations of misconduct against fishery council,2013-12-26,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"THE Western Pacific Fishery Management Council has not acted on recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office and U.S. Congressmen Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan and Henry A. Waxman have expressed concern over allegations of misconduct.
In a letter to National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration acting administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and acting administrator for fisheries Samuel D. Rauch III, Kilili and Waxman wrote:
“We understand that the Council has taken some positive steps, such as clarifying its record-access policy in their Statement of Organization and Practices and Procedures guidelines. Unfortunately, in the four years since the GAO report, the Western Pacific Council has failed to comply with all the GAO recommendations.”
They said they are troubled by reports that WESPAC is not adequately fulfilling its responsibilities to the people of the territories.
In 2009, GAO issued a report that looked into the allegations and made the following recommendations: (1) GAO recommended that NOAA direct the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council or WESPAC to maintain documentation of all requests for information from federal and state legislators. This was to help ensure compliance with OMB Circular A-122 requirements governing federal grant recipients.
GAO also stated that to reduce the risk of loss or unauthorized use associated with reimbursing meeting participant expenses with cash, it asked that NOAA direct WESPAC to pay per-diem costs for meeting participants by check to the extent practicable.
It also called for WESPAC to implement actions such as (1) notifying NOAA regional counsel before meeting with federal or state legislators or testifying before one of their committees; (2) asking NOAA regional counsel to provide an annual briefing to council members and staff on the rules governing their conduct, including limits on contacts with legislators; (3) adopting procedures that require council meeting minutes to include not only a council member’s statement of recusal from voting, but also the nature of the financial interest that would be affected; (4) maintaining current and archived copies of the council’s administrative records, including council meeting minutes, on the council’s Web site; (5) developing and making available the council’s policy regarding the types of records that are available to the public at the council office, the types of records that are available through a Freedom of Information Act or FOIA request, and the procedures for reviewing or requesting these records; (6) communicating directly with a council member who has requested council information and, if necessary, negotiating a timely response so that council members needing information do not have to file FOIA requests; and (7) clarifying the council’s advisory role by not describing itself as a policy-making body.
In their letter to NOAA, Sablan and Waxman cited the council’s failure to make available on its website the briefing materials used by Council members to make decisions.
“This is a notable deficiency, as all seven of the other Regional Fisheries Management Councils have extensive documentation online,” Sablan and Waxman said.
Their letter also said the lack of documentation “is a particular concern in the case of the Western Pacific, where currently a concerned citizen of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or Guam would have to spend $2,000 and travel 4,000 miles to Hawaii to review documents in person.”
The U.S. congressmen said the council should follow the lead of other fishery management councils and make their documents accessible on the website.
“The Western Pacific Council’s lack of transparency has led to continued allegations of financial and ethical misconduct, most notably from the nonprofit group Environmental Hawaii,” said Sablan and Waxman.
They said the GAO report in 2009 did not examine the council’s activities in the Northern Marianas, Guam or American Samoa.
They said allegations of misconduct that may have occurred in the CNMI have never been investigated.
“We urge NOAA to conduct a thorough analysis of the Western Pacific Council’s conduct and to require that the council immediately comply with the GAO recommendations,” the letter said.
They asked that WESPAC respond to their questions.
They asked if there is an itemized account of how federal funds allocated to the Western Pacific Council are spent.
They asked what oversight NOAA has over grants and contracts let by WESPAC.
They asked if there are accountability and performance standards in place.
They also raised the issue of conflicts of interest by council members and whether NOAA reviews the decisions.
They also asked if NOAA has investigated WESPAC executive director’s role in developing and promoting the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs’ petition to remove the green sea turtle from the endangered species list.
Variety was unable to get a comment from WESPAC.
- See more at: https://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/61599-kilili-expresses-concern-over-allegations-of-misconduct-against-fishery-council#sthash.qexBPpfY.dpuf",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-old-moe-formula-remains-intact-pss,Kilili: Old MOE formula remains intact for PSS,2013-12-26,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan says the central government is still required to give the Public School System $7 million in unremitted maintenance-of-effort funds, pursuant to the mandates of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This comes after Sablan confirmed that the U.S. Department of Education issued no response or action to the proposal of the CNMI government to change the formula in calculating the MOE award.  The CNMI received in 2009 $44 million in SFSF funds, of which $32.3 million is for public education. When the CNMI was awarded the SFSF grant, one of the conditions was that PSS must be given a specific amount of the overall budget of the CNMI government—at the time equivalent to 40 cents to $1 dollar or 25 percent of the overall CNMI government budget. The issue over the MOE formula came to light after the CNMI government filed a waiver application for it in 2012. The USDOE has not issued a response up to now. “The fact that there’s no decision [by USDOE] means we have to live with the first decision, which is good for PSS. The MOE’s first formula remains and that has not changed,” Sablan told Saipan Tribune. Saipan Tribune learned that in PSS books, the central government owes it $7 million in unremitted MOE for fiscal years 2010 and 2011. Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan just wants the whole matter done and over with. “For me, I wanted it resolved. I just want that MOE issue out of the way. The whole issue here is that the central government owes us millions of money that is badly needed in our classrooms. It’s the government’s responsibility to pay us,” she said.  Once they receive the funds, it will all be utilized for the classroom and instructional needs of schools. She is firm that there’s no way all or a portion of this unremitted MOE will be used to pay CUC arrears. “Whatever federal money we get from MOE will go to the classrooms where it belongs,” she added. As to when this money will go to PSS is uncertain up to this time. Saipan Tribune learned that the original amount of unremitted MOE for PSS was $11 million. However, in the late part of school year 2010-2011, the central government remitted some $2.6 million to pay for personnel salary.
https://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=152550",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/26677-awarded-diesel-emission-reduction,"$26,677 awarded for diesel emission reduction",2013-12-24,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$26,677 awarded for diesel emission reduction                                            
              Dec 24, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation $26,677 to reduce unsafe diesel emissions in the Northern Marianas Islands. CUC will use the money to help retrofit its generators, improving efficiency and cutting pollution. Congratulations to CUC.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/228458-awarded-historic-preservation-office,"$228,458 awarded to Historic Preservation Office",2013-12-23,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$228,458 awarded to Historic Preservation Office                                           
              Dec 23, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Park Service announced the award of $228,458 to the Commonwealth government this week. The historic preservation grant will be used to preserve and protect our islands’ historic sites. The formula grant only provides funding up to January 2014, but should be augmented when Congress finalizes appropriations for the rest of the year. Congratulations HPO!",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/transition-period-may-be-extended-2019,Transition period may be extended up to 2019,2013-12-23,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"THERE could be a stop-gap measure that will prevent the exodus of nonresident workers next year as the U.S. Congress considers extending the transitional period up to 2019.
U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan on Friday announced that the transition extension, which is included in S. 1237 or the omnibus territories bill, could be granted until 2019 with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approving the bill.
“The current Commonwealth-only worker and investor programs would be extended until the end of 2019 under the terms of an omnibus territories bill approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington today. The number of foreign workers in the Northern Mariana Islands would still have to be reduced every year, however, and zeroed-out by December 31, 2019. The 184 foreign investors, who established businesses in the Northern Marianas prior to 2009 and who now hold Commonwealth-only visas, would be allowed to stay in business, also until the end of 2019. Both the worker and investor programs are presently scheduled to end completely in twelve months,” according to Sablan’s newsletter.
He said U.S. Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, on June 27, 2013.
Sablan expressed concern about the potential impact to the CNMI economy if extension were not granted next year following the expiration of the transitional worker program on Dec. 31, 2014.
“Foreign workers now hold about 10,000 jobs in the NMI, but only 1,742 local workers are registered with the Commonwealth employment services office as looking for work. Even if every local worker took a job, we would still be 8,000 short. Businesses would close. Investors would take their money elsewhere. The cost of electricity and other basics would rise, because we would have fewer consumers in our economy. And tax revenues would drop, making it harder for the Commonwealth to pay government employees and retirees,” his e-newsletter also stated.
Sablan conveyed his gratitude to Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Oregon and his Republican counterpart Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
“I very much appreciate this bipartisan recognition that it is impossible to fill the 10,000 jobs now held by foreign workers with U.S. workers by the end of next year,” Sablan said.
It was at Sablan’s request that Wyden and Murkowski introduced S 1237.
In July, Sablan, co-sponsors Congresswomen Madeleine Z. Bordallo, D-Guam, and Donna M. Christensen, D-Virgin Islands, and Congressman Eni F.V. Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 2200.
Sablan said the omnibus bill is an effort to get territorial issues considered outside of partisan political concerns and enacted without being dependent on larger legislation.
He said, “Having a bill dealing solely and specifically with insular area issues is a pattern I want to establish and maintain in every Congress.”
Sablan is hopeful that the bill will be passed by the Senate in early 2014 so they can move the bill through their process.
In the Northern Marianas, the business community has been looking to the announcement of the extension period so they can make critical business decisions.
Based on the last available statistics, from Oct. 7, 2011 through Nov. 19, there were 10,594 workers whose I-129CW petitions were approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
In an earlier interview with Variety, Hyatt Regency Saipan director of finance Yosh Gabaldon and HR director Josephine Mesta said they are in favor of the extension “at this point.”
Hyatt, a preferred employer by many applicants in the tourism industry, admitted that the transition period to federal control of labor and immigration has been difficult as it has been for other companies in the private sector.
Mesta said it has been tough for both the management and the employees.
Gabaldon said there is not enough labor on the island to sustain all the companies.
Current economic activity needs more workers
Tan Holdings President Jerry Tan, whose company owns Asia Pacific Hotels Inc. including Fiesta Resort Saipan, Kanoa Resort and Century Hotel, told Variety in a recent interview, “The local workforce is not enough to fill the void if we were to lose 12,000 skilled workers.”
The current economic activity, he said, dictates that the Northern Marianas keeps the skilled nonresident workers and continue to hire U.S. workers.
“There is still a need for some of the skilled workforce that is not available right now on the island,” he said.
Tan said his company joins all jobs fairs on the island in their pursuit of hiring local workers.
“In every job fair that the government sets up, we try to recruit as many local workers as possible.”
Even then, he said, they still find a need for some skilled workers not available on island right now.
Tan told Variety that they renew workers based on the need of the operation and not just for the sake of renewing.
He also said it is not only based on how many local workers they are able to hire.
“We are doing both. We join every job fair. We try to recruit as many local workers as possible. Whatever void the local workers cannot fulfill then we have to rely on the CW workers.”
he said.
But the decision to retain these workers is based on the economic activity and projected growth in tourist arrivals.
“So if we want to maintain today’s [economic] activity, if we want to keep up and grow the tourism industry, the need for labor pool is going to be greater,” he said.
Of late, the Marianas Visitors Authority stated there is shortage of hotel rooms in the Northern Marianas, touting resurgent tourist arrivals.
Riding on the heels of this uptick in tourist arrivals, Tan said he sees more hotels opening up.
“Based on today’s economic activity and based on the expected growth, we also expect and hope that more hotels will open up,” he said.
The shortage of rooms is choking the growth of the tourism industry at this time.
Tan said the hotel shortage is “limiting how much growth you can have in tourism.”
He said there is a need to open up Palms Resort which has been closed since 2010.
“There is a need for more hotels,” he added.
If Palms Resort were to open, it will need around 200 workers.
“We are hoping the existing hotels will expand,” he said in response to the need for more rooms.
With the projected growth in tourism, Tan said, hotels are a labor intensive operatiosn.
He said this is not just about the labor pool of today.
“Everybody agrees that we want to see more tourists to come in. In order for more tourists come in, we need more flights. For more flights, we need more rooms. When you have more rooms, you need more workers,” he said.
He also said, “If you want to grow and for the economic growth to continue, then the need for workers will only increase.”
For Tan, policy decisions “are not only based on today’s activity.”
He said it goes well into the future.
“If you are looking at how to grow this economy, how to expand the tourism industry we are looking at the next three to five years,” he said.
https://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/61534-transition-period-may-be-extended-up-to-2019",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/jim-richardson-selected-superintendent-american-memorial-park,Jim Richardson selected as Superintendent of American Memorial Park,2013-12-22,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Jim Richardson selected as Superintendent of American Memorial Park                                           
              Dec 22, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Park Service has announced that Jim Richardson will be the new Superintendent of the American Memorial Park on Saipan. Richardson is no stranger to our islands. He was assigned on detail in 2011 to the War in the Pacific Historical Park on Guam and American Memorial Park. More recently, Richardson served as Acting Superintendent at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. He has 31 years of law enforcement and emergency service duties, including six years as the Chief Ranger at the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in California. Richardson replaces Barbara Alberti, who has transferred to the Pacific Regional Office in San Francisco. Congratulations to Superintendent Richardson; and thank you to Ms. Alberti for all of her work over the last several years at American Memorial Park.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/magnuson-stevens-fisheries-act-added-2014-agenda,Magnuson-Stevens fisheries act added to 2014 agenda,2013-12-21,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Magnuson-Stevens fisheries act added to 2014 agenda                                           
              Dec 21, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Washington) released a draft bill that would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and asked for public comment. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs, I will be working closely with Natural Resources Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) to shape this important reauthorization. I am also looking into how the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, one of the regional councils set up by Magnuson-Stevens to regulate fishing and manage stocks, is responding to recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office in 2009. Together with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-California), who asked GAO to study the Council’s expenditures in 2008, I asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for an update on the Council’s compliance with the changes in contracting practices and other problem areas GAO identified. Reauthorization of Magnuson-Stevens provides an opportunity to improve management of the councils, if needed, as well as to provide further protection for the dwindling fish stocks in the Pacific. I encourage all stakeholders to submit comments to your congressional office at kilili@mail.house.gov and/or to the Natural Resources Committee Majority at magnusonstevens@mail.house.gov.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/defense-bill-divert-limitations-heads-president,Defense bill with divert limitations heads to the President,2013-12-20,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Defense bill with divert limitations heads to the President                                           
              Dec 20, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The 2014 National Defense Authorization Act, setting limits on Air Force development of divert airfield facilities in the Northern Marianas, passed the Senate Thursday and now goes to the President to sign into law. The bill bars expenditure of the $29.3 million, allotted for construction of maintenance and storage buildings and a hazardous cargo pad, until the Air Force reports on all the alternatives considered for the divert field. Congress expects “the Secretary of the Air Force to consult with the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands regarding the location of projects to support divert field operations with the goal of achieving a mutually agreeable solution.” The NDAA also requires the Defense Department to report within 180 days on the feasibility of establishing a National Guard unit for the Northern Marianas, a project I have been working on since 2011. Another important component of the bill is new sexual assault policy for the military. It provides legal counsel for victims, eliminates the statute of limitation for sexual assault-related courts-martial, requires civilian review of cases not prosecuted, and stipulates dishonorable discharge or dismissal for anyone convicted of sexual assault. Military commanders are stripped of their ability to overturn jury convictions; and retaliation against victims will carry criminal penalties. I strongly support efforts to combat sexual assaults in the military and in civilian life.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/top-homeland-security-officials-confirmed-senate,Top Homeland Security officials confirmed by Senate,2013-12-20,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Top Homeland Security officials confirmed by Senate                                           
              Dec 20, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Mr. Jeh Johnson and Mr. Alejandro Mayorkas were confirmed by the U.S. Senate this week to be Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency is responsible for immigration, including the ongoing transition in the Northern Mariana Islands and the parole program that is critical to our tourist industry. Johnson is a former General Counsel at the Department of Defense, well versed in national security issues. Mayorkas is currently Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and we have worked together on Marianas issues since day-one of the transition period. He called me on Thanksgiving Day in 2011 to announce his decision to make parole available on a case-by-case basis to persons born in the Northern Marianas between 1974 and 1978, their immediate relatives, and the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, a policy he extended a year later. Mayorkas was also instrumental in responding to my calls for accommodation for foreign workers acting as family care-givers to our man’amko and the disabled. I look forward to working with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Mayorkas to continue making the immigration transition as least difficult as possible for the people and the economy of the Northern Mariana Islands.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/transition-extension-gets-senate-committee-okay,Transition extension gets Senate committee okay,2013-12-20,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"The current Commonwealth-only worker and investor programs would be extended until the end of 2019 under terms of an omnibus territories bill approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington today. The number of foreign workers in the Northern Mariana Islands would still have to be reduced every year, however, and zeroed-out by December 31, 2019. The 184 foreign investors, who had established businesses in the Northern Marianas prior to 2009 and who now hold Commonwealth-only visas, would be allowed to stay in business, also until the end of 2019. Both the worker and investor programs are presently scheduled to end completely in twelve months.
Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan thanked Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and his Republican counterpart Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) for today’s action. “I very much appreciate this bipartisan recognition that it is impossible to fill the 10,000 jobs now held by foreign workers with U.S. workers by the end of next year,” Sablan said.
“I understand there are only 1,742 U.S. workers now registered with our local employment services office. Even if every one of them took a job, we would still be 8,000 short. Businesses would close. Investors would take their money elsewhere. Tax revenues would drop. And the cost of electricity and other basic necessities would rise, because we would have fewer consumers in our economy.”
In addition to adding five years to the ongoing period of transition from local to federal management of immigration in the Northern Marianas, the omnibus territories bill contains eleven other sections. They aim to cut electricity rates in the U.S. insular areas, reduce the local match island governments pay for some federal grants, and help island finance departments improve annual revenue estimates.
S.1237 was introduced by Wyden and Murkowski at Sablan’s request on June 27. Sablan authored and introduced a companion bill in the House, H.R. 2200, one month earlier. Congresswomen Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam) and Donna M. Christensen (D-Virgin Islands) and Congressman Eni F.V. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) are all co-sponsors.
The omnibus bill is an effort to get territorial issues considered outside of partisan political concerns and enacted without being dependent on larger legislation.
“Having a bill dealing solely and specifically with insular area issues is a pattern I want to establish and maintain in every Congress,” Sablan explained.
“Of course, I will keep working on Northern Marianas issues with stand-alone legislation and by inserting language that benefits us in the big policy bills, too. You have to create multiple opportunities, if you want to get things done here.”
A Northern Marianas territorial sea provision was originally part of S.1237, but Sablan was able to have it enacted as a separate, stand-alone measure in September, one of only 57 bills that have become law in all of 2013.
Four Republican Senators – Lamar Alexander (Tennessee), John Barossa (Wyoming), Mike Lee (Utah), and Tim Scott (South Dakota) – voted today against sending S.1237 to the Senate floor for final approval. None of them stated the nature of their objection to the bill.
“We will be working over the holiday break to address whatever concerns remain,” Sablan said. “I would certainly like to see the Senate pass S.1237 early in the new year and send it over to the House, so we can start moving the bill through our committee process.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/senate-committee-okays-kiaaina-insular-areas-assistant-secretary,Senate committee okays Kia'aina for Insular Areas Assistant Secretary,2013-12-19,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Senate committee okays Kia'aina for Insular Areas Assistant Secretary                                           
              Dec 19, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Esther Kia’aina has moved a step closer to becoming Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources gave her the nod after both Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recognized Ms. Kia’aina as highly qualified and urged Members to support her nomination. President Obama picked Kia’aina to be the next Assistant Secretary in September. Now, the nomination heads to the Senate floor for consideration. I look forward to working with Ms. Kia’aina when she is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-eyes-cw-extension-2019,Kilili eyes CW extension to 2019,2013-12-17,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Besides asking long-term legal aliens to help the CNMI “get through the transition period,” Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) also said yesterday he now has reason to believe that U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez’s anticipated decision would be to extend the transitional Commonwealth-only worker program beyond Dec. 31, 2014. A U.S. Senate bill that Sablan drafted will be marked up on Thursday, extending the federal immigration transition period only up to 2019. That revised version of the bipartisan S. 1237 would also extend the E2-C program for long-term foreign investors up to 2019, and ensure that the CNMI’s exemption from accepting asylum applications will last until the end of the transition period. The bill that’s up for the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s markup will require the U.S. Department of the Interior to work with the CNMI to help reduce utility rates on the islands, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office to aid the CNMI in the budgeting process to help avoid annual and cumulative deficits. A revised version of S. 1237 is needed because some of its CNMI-specific provisions already became law in recent months, including a delay in the 2013 and 2015 minimum wage increase and conveying 3 miles of submerged lands to the CNMI. ‘Values’ Sablan, a guest speaker at yesterday’s Rotary Club of Saipan meeting at Hyatt Regency Saipan, also put a spotlight on an ongoing petition “that calls for sending all foreign workers back to where they came from by the end of next year,” which he said is just the opposite of the Rotary Club’s values of unity, compassion, and caring for others. “People are looking for ways to divide us. Instead of believing that by working together, by cooperating, by helping each other we can all do better in life—the Rotary values—these people are convinced that they lose when others succeed,” Sablan told Rotary Club members and guests. He said some people “feed the fire of fear that we all sometimes feel that we are being taken advantage of or are in danger of having something taken from us.” “Ironically, this fear is aimed at people who have added to the life and welfare of our community. People who have given, not taken away. People whose work and economic contribution will continue to be needed for years to come,” he added. The Northern Marianas Descent Corp., which claims to represent thousands of indigenous people, is circulating a petition asking Congress to “reject” the inclusion in national immigration reform bills of any provision that would grant improved status to long-term legal aliens in the CNMI.  The same immigration bills—S. 744 and H.R. 15—provide a pathway to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented aliens in America. This NMD Corp. petition addressed to Congress is separate from another petition it addressed to CNMI lawmakers, asking them to introduce a joint resolution to also oppose the CNMI provision in S. 744 and H.R. 15. Sablan said this has produced a lively debate in the letters to the editor of local newspapers. He said in the halls of Congress, people are still debating the meaning of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence over 200 years after the fact. It is thus not surprising that in the CNMI, there would still be debate on the meaning of the Covenant that established the Northern Marianas’ political relationship with the United States approved less than 40 years ago. “But philosophical debates sometimes have to give way to practical reality. And no matter what a document signed decades ago or centuries ago may mean, we have to ask ourselves what is best for our community today,” he said. Karl Reyes, a member of the NMD Corp. and a Rotary Club of Saipan member, in an interview after Sablan’s presentation said that he always believes the world is “round, so everybody can stay anywhere they want as long as they follow the law.” When asked whether he thinks there would be 10,000 U.S. workers to fill up the jobs currently held by foreign workers, Reyes said, “Right now, I can’t even find a job because I’m over 70 years old…They don’t want to hire me because of my age. As long as a person can do it, hire.” ‘Bargain with foreign workers’ Sablan, who successfully inserted a provision granting pathway to improved status to long-term legal aliens in the CNMI in S. 744 and HR 15, said these bill protect people “with roots in our community.” He said it also makes a bargain with foreign workers who have been in the CNMI continuously and legally for 15 or more years. “Here’s the bargain: If you stay and help us get through the transition period, then you can apply to get a U.S. green card. If it is determined that you are eligible, and you receive a green card, you can go wherever you want: California, Hawaii, it’s up to you. Or you could choose to remain here in the Northern Marianas. Wherever you think the opportunities are best,” he said. Sablan asked that these long-term legal foreign workers “stay with us for another five years.” “Help get the Northern Marianas through the transition period until we have trained U.S. workers to fill the jobs in our economy,” he said. ‘Storm is coming’ Sablan said there is a storm coming and passing national immigration reform is inevitable, no matter how some people say it’s inconceivable. “And because the Northern Mariana Islands are part of the United States, national immigration reform will rain down on us, the same way it will rain down on California or New York,” he said. The delegate said his goal is to be sure that when the storm comes, the CNMI is not standing out in the rain without any protection. “People who say we should get rid of special provisions for the Northern Marianas in national immigration law are saying: throw away that umbrella. Let’s just all stand in the rain. Let’s just all get soaked. I can’t agree. I think we need to do what we can to make sure that, when the storm comes, when immigration reform passes Congress, the Northern Marianas has some protection. And when the storm has passed I want—what I think Rotary wants—is a community that is stronger and more prosperous than ever,” he said. CW extension Sablan had always refrained from saying what the U.S. Labor secretary’s decision would be, except that a decision would be made in January 2014. He had earlier requested that a decision be made by August 2013 to give CNMI employers and employees time to prepare. In the past, he would only go so far to say he was not given a reason that the transition period would not be extended. But yesterday, Sablan changed his tone, saying, “I actually may have reason to think that a decision would give us an extension.” Without an extension of the transitional CW program, the CNMI loses immediate access to some 10,000 skilled and professional foreign workers after Dec. 31, 2014, a time when the CNMI is far from having some 10,000 U.S. workers to fill up these jobs. Sablan said even acting CNMI Labor secretary Edith DeLeon Guerrero stated that there are over 1,500 or so U.S. workers looking for jobs, compared to some 10,000 jobs currently held by some 10,000 workers. Once the transition period is extended up to 2019, that gives the CNMI additional years to train as many U.S. workers as possible. But Sablan said the CNMI cannot continue to be dependent on foreign workers forever, as he keeps pushing for training U.S. workers. In a later interview, Sablan said some members of the CNMI Legislature claim of investors interested in investing millions and billions in the CNMI which he said is “good.” “Where are they going to get the workers? Do you really think those people are going to come in here, put that kind of money…if they know that they won’t have the workforce after 2019? Do you really think they will do this?” he asked. Sablan added that sending home 10,000 foreign workers will mean 10,000 less customers for the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and much higher rates than what customers now pay. He said the Northern Marianas College, which also has many students that are children of foreign workers, would pull out once their parents are sent home, leaving NMC with much fewer students and money to operate.
https://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=152379&cat=1",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/pacific-coast-representatives-concerned-about-loggerhead-turtle-catch,Pacific coast Representatives concerned about loggerhead turtle catch,2013-12-16,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Pacific coast Representatives concerned about loggerhead turtle catch                                           
              Dec 16, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) thirteen members of the House of Representatives from the Pacific coast have asked for an update on consultations between the United States and Mexico on efforts to protect loggerhead turtles from being caught by mistake. Loggerheads begin their lives off the coast of Japan, then migrate thousands of miles across the Pacific to feed off the coast of California and Mexico. According to a 2013 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Each year thousands of loggerhead sea turtles die at sea or become stranded after encountering the high density of fishing gear deployed by Mexican fishermen off the West Coast.” NOAA is currently using its authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to investigate the Mexican government’s efforts to address the problem. Our letter expresses support for NOAA’s work. The update will be valuable when, early next year, reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act is expected to be on the agenda of the Natural Resources Committee, where I serve as Ranking Member of the subcommittee responsible for oceans and fisheries.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/10000-awarded-northern-marianas-protection-and-advocacy-system,"$10,000 awarded to the Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy System",2013-12-15,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$10,000 awarded to the Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy System                                           
              Dec 15, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the award of $10,000 to NMPASI for Traumatic Brain Injury Protection and Advocacy. This grant will support services to individuals with traumatic brain injury, including (1) information, referrals, and advice, (2) individual and family advocacy, (3) legal representation, and (4) specific assistance in self-advocacy. Congratulations to NMPASI.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/conferees-get-more-time-finish-farm-bill,Conferees get more time to finish farm bill,2013-12-14,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Conferees get more time to finish farm bill                                           
              Dec 14, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    We will have to wait until January to see if the $33 million SNAP pilot program for the Northern Mariana Islands and the rest of the 2013 farm bill are enacted into law. As the holiday recess neared without conference committee agreement on the farm bill, H.R. 2642, House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma) convinced the House to pass an extension of the 2008 farm policies effective until the end of January. This extension will give conferees time to complete their work; otherwise the agriculture law enacted in 1949 goes into effect on January 1. The Senate has not yet agreed to the extension, but may vote next week. Key House negotiators say they are close to an agreement and will continue to work through the holidays to ensure that Congress can enact the farm bill in January. Meanwhile, I will continue to work to be sure the Northern Marianas SNAP pilot program is a part of the final conference agreement, so that food stamp benefits for our people are on par with the rest of the United States.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/house-approves-federal-budget-2014-and-2015,House approves federal budget for 2014 and 2015,2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"House approves federal budget for 2014 and 2015                                           
              Dec 13, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Northern Marianas programs dependent on federal dollars will be spared some of the impact of sequestration over the next two years. On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. The Act provides $63 billion in relief from the across-the-board sequester cuts that hurt Head Start and other federal programs nationwide. 169 Republicans and 163 Democrats voted in favor; 62 Republicans and 32 Democrats voted against. Discretionary spending for fiscal 2014 had been scheduled to go down to $967 billion, but is now set $1.012 trillion for this year and $1.014 trillion for fiscal year 2015. Next week, the Senate is expected to pass the bill; and President Obama has said he will sign it into law. After that, Congress will have to enact appropriations for fiscal 2014. Appropriations are set to expire on January 15.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/nmi-national-guard-study-authorized,Defense bill calls for mutual agreement on divert field location,2013-12-12,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"NMI National Guard study authorized
The conference committee ironing out differences between the U.S. House and Senate on the National Defense Authorization Act for 2014 has set limits on Air Force development of divert airfield facilities in the Northern Mariana Islands. Statutory language in Section 2305 of the bill, H.R. 1960, will bar any expenditure of funds until the Air Force reports to Congress on various alternatives considered for the divert-field operations. In addition, report language accompanying the bill notes the concerns of the Governor of the Northern Marianas with regard to whether the operations will be located on the island of Tinian or Saipan and calls for a mutually agreeable resolution to that issue.
“I have been in active discussion with the Armed Services Committee regarding the location of the divert field,” said Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, “and how to make sure that all of our local concerns are addressed by the Air Force.
“The requirements that Congress now seems likely to approve in the Defense Authorization Act will help ensure that all sides of this issue are considered fully.”
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2014 is expected to be brought to the House floor for a vote this week and to the Senate the week after.
The divert field will provide an alternative in the event that aircraft cannot be landed at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam because of natural disaster or military conflict. Construction of a maintenance facility, a hazardous cargo pad, and an airport storage facility are among the planned developments on either Tinian or Saipan. Both those islands have existing runways capable of handling large military aircraft. The Defense Authorization Act provides $29.3 million for the projects: $2.8 million for the mainteance facility, $8 million for the hazardous cargo pad, and $18.5 million for bulk storage at the airport. 
“Governor Inos – and I fully agree with him on this – has expressed the view that Tinian is a preferable location,” Sablan said. “The U.S. already leases two-thirds of the island, so there is ample room for the facilities the Air Force will need.
“Around the Saipan International Airport, on the other hand, there is limited public land, much of which may be needed for commercial development in the future. And with our growing tourism industry the potential for use conflicts between military aircraft and commercial passenger planes could become a problem, if Saipan is the site for the divert field. So it seems better management to separate the two activities – military and commercial – on separate islands.”
The conference committee report encourages both the Air Force and the Commonwealth government to consider these potential conflicts thoroughly before development of the divert operation moves forward.
National Guard feasibility to be studied
The Defense Authorization Act (Section 515), also, sets the stage for a Northern Mariana Islands National Guard unit by directing that the Secretary of Defense conduct a feasibility study and report to Congress within 180 days of the Act being signed in to law.
Currently, men and women from the Northern Marianas serve in the Guam National Guard. The Guam unit has been stationed in Afghanistan and returns to the U.S. for demobilization this month.
Besides deployment to combat, however, National Guard units, which are under the authority of respective state and territorial Governors, can be called up to respond to natural disasters or to assist in restoring order.
Congressman Sablan introduced legislation, H.R. 2773, in the last Congress that required establishment of a Northern Marianas National Guard. But the Armed Services Committee was unwilling to move forward without an in-depth look at the practicalities.
The feasibility study now likely to be approved will look at issues of cost, existing and needed infrastructure, and whether there is sufficient population in the islands to support a National Guard unit. The Secretary of Defense will also report on whether a local law authorizing an organized militia for the Commonwealth will need to be enacted.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-shipping-proposal-could-affect-costs-goods-nmi,Kilili: Shipping proposal could affect costs of goods in NMI,2013-12-10,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) joined five other members of U.S. Congress in asking the Federal Maritime Commission to carefully review a proposed vessel sharing deal that could affect the costs of goods in Hawaii and other Pacific territories such as the CNMI. The three largest shipping companies in the world—Maersk Line, MSC, and CMA-CGM—announced the creation of a new vessel sharing agreement, the P3 Alliance. Given its current makeup, the P3 Alliance will control 58 percent of vessels with greater than 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit capacity and 80 percent of vessels over 16,000 TEU. The six U.S. Congress members—Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, Rep. Don Young, Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo, U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Donna Christensen, American Samoa Delegate Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, and Sablan—said they neither support nor oppose the P3 Alliance concept at this time. “Yet, the State of Hawaii and the Pacific territories rely more heavily on ocean shipping for food, medicine, fuel, and other life-sustaining goods than perhaps any other region of these United States,” the lawmakers told Federal Maritime Commission chair Mario Cordero in a Dec. 4 letter. Along with the other Pacific area representatives who signed the letter to the FMC chairman, Sablan said he took no position on whether the commission should approve the proposed P3 Alliance. “Together the combination would control 58 percent of large, ocean-going cargo carriers. Pacific areas are particularly dependent on ocean shipping to provide basic commodities, and the Alliance could exert considerable influence on pricing and availability of goods. We have asked the commission to fully consider the effects of the proposed P3 Alliance,” Sablan said.
https://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=152216",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/white-house-summer-internships-open,White House Summer Internships open,2013-12-09,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"White House Summer Internships open                                           
              Dec 9, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The White House has announced that applications are open for the 2014 Summer Internship Program. White House interns gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills in a remarkable environment. An applicant must be a US citizen, 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship, and either currently enrolled or recently graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university. Veterans of the US Armed Forces, who have a high school diploma or its equivalent and have served on active duty in the two years preceding the first day of the internship, are also eligible. The deadline to apply is January 5, 2014. More information is available here, and to apply go to White House Internship Program.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/we-mark-sadness-passing-nelson-mandela,We mark with sadness the passing of Nelson Mandela,2013-12-07,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"We mark with sadness the passing of Nelson Mandela                                           
              Dec 7, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    We mark with sadness the passing of Nelson Mandela, who led South Africa from a state of division and oppression to become a rainbow nation. “We are turning the variety of our languages and cultures, once used to divide us, into a source of strength and richness,” he declared, as South Africa’s first President, elected by all. And he sounded this ideal of common humanity beyond the borders of his own country. Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, Mandela called for “a society which recognises that all people are born equal, with each entitled in equal measure to life, liberty, prosperity, human rights and good governance.” His allegiance to this principle of equality cost the great man 27 years behind bars, which President Obama remembered in a eulogy yesterday, repeating Mandela’s own words from the prisoner’s dock: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Though Nelson Mandela has passed on, let us all keep his ideal alive.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/fukushima-marine-debris-addressed,Fukushima marine debris addressed,2013-12-06,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Fukushima marine debris addressed                                           
              Dec 6, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    $50,000 has been set aside to clean up any debris from the Fukushima tsunami that comes ashore in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Government of Japan gave $5 million to the United States last year to help with the problem. $1.75 million has been allocated so far among the US Pacific coast areas. The Natural Resources Committee is also addressing the issue of marine debris legislatively. On Thursday we approved two bills amending the Marine Debris Research, Prevention and Reduction Act, which I cosponsored in the last Congress. H.R. 1491 provides statutory authority for distribution of the Fukushima grant from Japan. H.R. 1425 allows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to give priority to severe marine debris events, such as the tsunami or Hurricane Sandy, and redistribute existing Marine Debris Program funds to where they are most needed. Governors would be authorized to request declaration of a severe marine debris event. Marine debris is an eyesore and an environment hazard. 10,290 pounds of the trash was collected along the shores of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in September during the 28th annual International Beach Cleanup. Thanks to all the volunteers who are keeping our islands beautiful.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/gdp-down-then-2011-and-2012,"GDP down, then up for 2011 and 2012",2013-12-02,2013,2013-12,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that Gross Domestic Product in the Northern Mariana Islands decreased 6.8 percent in 2011, then increased 5.2 percent in 2012. The 2012 GDP remained, however, below the 2010 level. In 2010 GDP ticked up 1.1 percent following six straight years of declines.
“The 2010 turn-around was largely the result of federal government grants to the Commonwealth and individuals from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan observed. “And that spending seemed to have halted the freefall in our economy.
“The 2011 and 2012 data are sending an unclear message about just where we are headed. Though, of course, we all we want to believe that the strong growth in 2012 was the beginning of a trend that will continue.”
GDP—a sum of spending by consumers, government, and business—fell from over $1.2 billion in 2002 to $593 million in 2012, now the most recent year for which data is available.
In its announcement today the Bureau of Economic Analysis cited fluctuations in tourism as well as local government austerity measures as significant contributors to the ups and downs in GDP in 2011 and 2012. The drop in tourism was attributed to the earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan in March 2011.
“Being largely dependent on one industry, tourism, makes our economy vulnerable to external factors,” Sablan said. “That is why it is so important that we diversify the sources of our tourism. When one of the countries that sends us tourists suffers a problem, tourists from other countries will not replace the loss. But at least our economy will have some cushion.
“This is why we have to work hard to maintain the parole system that makes it easy for tourists from Russia and China to visit us.”
“Looking at GDP should also remind us of the importance of keeping our population numbers up. Consumer spending is the bulk of GDP. Losing population, whether it is because people leave to find more opportunity or because of changes in immigration, hurts our economy. We cannot afford to lose any more population.”
The Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, began compiling GDP data for the Northern Mariana Islands and other U.S. insular areas in 2009 with funding from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs.
The data still lags the national survey of GDP, which is released one month after the end of each quarter. But island GDP is catching up. BEA says it will release the 2013 insular GDP in the summer of 2014.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/2014-congressional-summer-internship-opportunity-beckons,2014 Congressional summer internship opportunity beckons,2013-11-30,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"2014 Congressional summer internship opportunity beckons                                           
              Nov 29, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    I received word this week that there are no applicants from the Northern Mariana Islands for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s summer 2014 Congressional Internship Program. So, if you are a college student from the NMI, I encourage you to consider applying. Selection is competitive; but the reward is a 12-week paid internship in the office of a Member of Congress with training in legislation, constituent casework, and legislative research. Interns also participate in a community service project and receive educational and professional training from the Institute. The program pays for round-trip travel to Washington D.C., housing, health insurance, and provides a $2,500 stipend. I became a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in part to open the door to this kind of opportunity, so I hope NMI students will look at all the internships, fellowships, and scholarships that CHCI has to offer. See an information packet here. And for more information about summer 2014 Congressional Internship go to https://www.chci.org/internships/.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/inos-kilili-offer-dhs-specific-ways-curb-birth-tourism,"Inos, Kilili offer DHS specific ways to curb birth tourism",2013-11-29,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Seven months after jointly raising “birth tourism” concerns with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Gov. Eloy S. Inos and Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) sent another letter to DHS early this week but this time with specific suggestions to curb the problem such as requiring “all” airlines flying to the CNMI to adopt the pre-screening and other strategies that charter tour flights have developed to deter travel to the islands for the sole purpose of giving birth to an automatic U.S. citizen. Many of those who come to Saipan solely for birth tourism—mostly from China—do so by boarding a signatory airline, Asiana Airlines, and not through charter tour flights. Asiana Airlines picks up passengers from Korea. This is because charter companies that fly directly between China and the CNMI “proactively screen” their passengers to ensure compliance with parole conditions such as travel for the authorized purpose of tourism and on-time departure, the governor and delegate said. Since 2009, tourists from China and Russia are allowed to visit the CNMI without a U.S. visa pursuant to the DHS secretary’s use of parole authority. Inos and Sablan said record of experience shows that companies operating charter tour flights have been most successful in ensuring that tourists meet the parole program’s requirements. “As far as we know from industry data, these charter operators have a low rate of entry refusal and a high rate of timely departure,” Inos and Sablan said in their joint Nov. 25 letter to DHS acting secretary Rand Beers.  A copy of the letter was made available only yesterday, although Sablan confirmed a letter was forthcoming, during an interview last Sunday. The federal government, through DHS and its component agencies, now control CNMI borders. The governor and the delegate said while only DHS has the official entry and exit data with which to evaluate the record industry-wide, what appears true for the charter tour flights many not hold for all airlines providing services for Chinese tourists to the CNMI. “Thus, we would like to encourage the Department—and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] in particular—to take a look at pre-screening and other strategies developed by the charter operators and confirm their effectiveness. Upon this analysis the Department might consider requiring the adoption of these best practices by all carriers transporting visitors to the Northern Marianas under the parole program,” Inos and Sablan said. They said improving airline procedures in this way could benefit DHS and CBP by helping to ensure that travel under parole is done only for the authorized purposes, thereby making the most effective use of CBP officers’ time at the ports of entry and allowing CBP to better prioritize its local resources. The governor and delegate said improvements based on experience would also further solidify confidence in the parole program itself, which has already resulted in Chinese tourists accounting for 26 percent of all arrivals in the CNMI and ranking second in terms of economic impact. They added that refining the parole program would also support the president’s National Tourism and Travel Strategy, which is meant in part to encourage tourism from rapidly developing countries, such as China. DHS’ decision to waive U.S. visa requirement for Chinese and Russian tourists has brought substantial tourism economic activities to the CNMI. But once DHS decides to lift that waiver, the impact on the CNMI would be devastating. In a previous interview, Sablan said the CNMI also would not want to catch the ire of the Chinese government, which can easily put a stop to the flow of Chinese tourists to the Commonwealth. Their Nov. 25 letter is a follow up to their April 18, 2013 letter to then DHS secretary Janet Napolitano, thanking her for her decision to use parole authority to allow tourists from China and Russia to enter the CNMI without U.S. visa. “These tourists have become the cornerstone of economic recovery in our islands; and the multi-year track record demonstrates that the parole program can coexist with United States security interests,” they said. Inos and Sablan’s letter, however, also expressed concern about the use of the CNMI as one of the many places in the United States attracting so-called birth tourism from China. “And we urged Customs and Border Protection vigilance. We want to share with you now our further observation in this regard,” they said in this week’s letter to DHS’ Beers. “Birth tourism” refers to travel for the purpose of giving birth to an automatic U.S. citizen child in the CNMI or any other U.S. state or territory. The United States is one of a few countries that observe jus soli, which grants automatic citizenship to children born within its territory, regardless of the parents’ nationality or citizenship.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/happy-thanksgiving,Happy Thanksgiving,2013-11-28,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"What a profound idea President Lincoln had when setting aside a day for all of us to remember what we have to be thankful for. It is so quick and easy to say thanks, but it is so easy to forget the importance of that simple action. So today I would like to say thank you:
...To our brave men and women in the military and to our military families, to our veterans, to our police officers and fire officers, for they risk their lives daily to protect us and to save the lives of others;
...To our teachers, who work hard to educate and train our students to prepare them for our future;
...To my critics, who force me to think harder about my positions, to see if I may be missing something, and, thus, help me work better and smarter in service to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands;
...To my wife, Andrea, who, despite my absence from home over half the year, working in Washington, continues to hold our family together;
...To my Dad, who has now passed on, but whom I am just so blessed to have had as a loving, kind, and generous Father for 58 years; and
...To all who have entrusted me to represent them in Congress and given me the opportunity to make life better for everyone in our Commonwealth.
May you enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving today with family and friends.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/5-us-service-academy-slots-available-%E2%80%93-apply-nomination-today,5 U.S. Service Academy slots available – Apply for nomination today,2013-11-25,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"5 U.S. Service Academy slots available – Apply for nomination today                                           
              Nov 25, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Young men and women from the Northern Marianas interested in a high quality education and committed to serving our country are urged to apply for a congressional nomination to one of the U.S. Service Academies. As a result of enactment of U.S. Public Law 111-84, there are four openings available this year: one at the Military Academy at West Point, one at the Air Force Academy and two at the Naval Academy. There is also one position open at the Merchant Marine Academy. Attending a service academy is a unique opportunity to obtain a first-rate college education entirely free. Graduates also earn the honor of receiving an officer’s commission in the U.S. Armed Forces. As your Congressman, I may make nominations, but final selections among the nominees are made by academy admission officials. They look for strong grades in high school, high SAT or ACT scores, physical ability, and leadership potential. More information and an application form are available at https://sablan.house.gov/serving-you/military-academy-nominations. Applications are due by December 13, 2013.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/another-69m-water-and-sewer-money-cuc-17m-deq-operations,Another $6.9m in water and sewer money for CUC; $1.7m for DEQ operations,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Another $6.9m in water and sewer money for CUC; $1.7m for DEQ operations                                           
              Nov 22, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The change we won in 2010 to increase drinking water and wastewater construction grants continues to pay off year after year. The Environmental Protection Agency announced $6.9 million in water and sewer grants to the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation this week. Before we got the funding formula changed the Commonwealth was only receiving about $1 million a year. Since the increase we have received $37 million; and Saipan has reached the goal of 24-hour water in many areas. The Commonwealth’s Division of Environmental Quality – part of the newly formed Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality – was also awarded this week $1.7 million to carry out its operations, including beach monitoring, permitting, and other environmental protection programs. Thanks to all the staff and management at CUC and the new Bureau for improving our water system and protecting our environment.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/us-responds-yolanda-disaster,US responds to Yolanda disaster,2013-11-18,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"US responds to Yolanda disaster                                           
              Nov 18, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    America has a long history with the people of the Philippines, so we are responding quickly and forcefully to the humanitarian needs there in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda. The U.S. Government is already providing more than $22 million in assistance for emergency shelter, water, and sanitation, as well as helping with airlifts of government and private relief supplies to storm-battered areas. Latest reports indicate the typhoon affected 8.7 million people, leaving 819,000 homeless, and causing up to 4,460 deaths. In the Northern Marianas we know what it feels like to be hit by a typhoon. So, our hearts and prayers go out to the people of the Philippines. Members of Congress are prohibited by ethics rules from using official resources to solicit or collect donations of goods, funds, or services on behalf of private organizations, but I have provided a link on my official website, https://sablan.house.gov/typhoon-yolanda-relief, to official government websites that give details about how constituents may help, if you want to.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/another-reap-grant-alternative-energy-nmi,Another REAP grant for alternative energy in the NMI,2013-11-17,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Another REAP grant for alternative energy in the NMI                                           
              Nov 17, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Servino & Associates, Inc. is the recipient of a $2,633 Renewable Energy Assistance grant from the Department of Agriculture. The company will use the funds to buy a 5 kilowatt, grid-tied photovoltaic system for its offices on Saipan. This is the second REAP grant announced in the Northern Marianas this month. Earlier Marianas Business Plaza was granted $500,000, also to use for solar electrical generation. Congratulations to Servino & Associates.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/165565-awarded-department-public-safety,"$165,565 awarded to Department of Public Safety",2013-11-16,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$165,565 awarded to Department of Public Safety                                           
              Nov 16, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced the award of $165,565 to the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Safety. The grant will support state highway safety programs aimed at improving driver behavior to reduce deaths and injuries. Congratulations to DPS.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/noaa-reports-253940-lbs-fish-caught-marianas,"NOAA reports 253,940 lbs. of fish caught in the Marianas",2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"NOAA reports 253,940 lbs. of fish caught in the Marianas                                           
              Nov 15, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released the latest edition of Fisheries of the United States. NOAA reports that 253,940 pounds of fish, valued at $581,404, were harvested commercially in the Northern Marianas in 2012. Of the U.S. territories, American Samoa had the highest commercial landings both in quantity – 9 million pounds – and in value – $9.7 million. Guam had the lowest reported catch: 200,000 pounds valued at $507,743. Not including the territories, U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.6 billion pounds of seafood valued at $5.1 billion. NOAA’s report can be found online at: https://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/commercial-fisheries/fus/fus12/index.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/water-resources-bill-moves-forward,Water resources bill moves forward,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Water resources bill moves forward                                           
              Nov 15, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The House has appointed its members to the conference committee on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act. The conference committee will reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill and recommend final passage. The House version of H.R.3080 includes my provision doubling the waiver of the local match requirement for Army Corps projects in the Northern Mariana Islands. This will increase the current $200,000 waiver, set in 1986, to reflect inflation over the last 27 years. The new waiver should be in excess of $400,000, meaning projects can go forward without $400,000 of Commonwealth money. Last week, I joined with 29 other Members from both sides of the aisle calling for appointment of the conferees in a letter to Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (California). I appreciate their quick response to our request. Typical Army Corps projects in the NMI recently have included the Rota Harbor improvements completed in 2008 and the on-going Susupe-Chalan Kanoa Drainage Plan to address flooding in those villages. If WRRDA is enacted with my provision, the planned Outer Cove Marina project and the Saipan Lagoon Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration project could each cost the Commonwealth over $200,000 less.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/108923-awarded-maternal-and-child-health-services,"$108,923 awarded for Maternal and Child Health Services",2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$108,923 awarded for Maternal and Child Health Services                                           
              Nov 14, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Health $108,923 for Maternal and Child Health Services. Public Health uses the funds to plan, promote, coordinate, and evaluate the health care of pregnant women, mothers, infants, and children with an emphasis on children with special needs and on those families that do not otherwise have access to adequate health care. Congratulations DPH!",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/major-breakthrough-liheap-funding-nmi,Major breakthrough in LIHEAP funding for NMI,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan received word today that years of effort to increase the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grant for the Northern Mariana Islands have paid off. The Department of Health and Human Services informed Sablan that Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had decided to provide the maximum amount permitted by law for the NMI and the other U.S. territories, almost four times more than they have been receiving since 1981. The change goes into effect on January 1 and will continue indefinitely.
Last week, Sablan announced that the Department was releasing $50,000 in LIHEAP funding to the Northern Marianas for the current fiscal year. But at the same time the Department informed him that it was nearing completion of its analysis of the long-standing request by Sablan and other territorial representatives to raise the grant to the maximum the law allows.
“We knew that the Secretary would be deciding whether to keep us at 0.135 percent of total national funding or give us the maximum of 0.5 percent,” Sablan said. “And we knew electricity rates and fuel costs in our islands made a strong argument for her to increase the grant.
“Today we found out that those arguments were convincing.
“I am very grateful to Secretary Sebelius and everyone on her staff, who took a long, hard look at the cost of energy in the Northern Mariana Islands and agreed to help our poorest families.”
LIHEAP grants can be used to pay for electricity, make home improvements that save energy, and, in a crisis, prevent service interruptions. As many as 300 families in the Northern Marianas have in recent years received up to $58 in monthly assistance from the federal program.
The number of NMI families who are eligible and the monthly aid amount can significantly increase now.
Years of effort and persistence rewarded
Sablan identified LIHEAP funding as an opportunity to improve funding for the Northern Mariana Islands early in his congressional career. Year after year he has been among members of Congress active in defending the national program, which has been a favorite target of budget cutters.
At the same time, Congressman Sablan has worked to find ways to increase the specific grant to the NMI. In 2011 he wrote legislation, H.R. 3063, requiring the HHS Secretary to allocate at least 30 percent of national home energy grants, called Leveraging Incentive Grants, to the U.S. territories to supplement the LIHEAP grant. Sablan’s bill gathered 9 co-sponsors.
Later that year Sablan wrote the formal petition to Secretary Sebelius, signed by all the territorial representatives, laying out the case for her to allocate the full 0.5 percent of LIHEAP funding permitted by law. The insular areas have electricity costs as much as 4 times higher than the U.S. average, the representatives argued, and the need for home cooling year around; yet the Secretary was only granting the islands a bare minimum, 0.135 percent, of what the law allowed.
Sablan also called for a revision of the allocations among the territories based on income and population data in the 2010 Census, when it became available.
Sebelius replied in February, 2012 that “HHS staff are currently working on identifying the information required to assess whether the needs of the territories are being appropriately addressed in the allocation of LIHEAP funding.”
When the Department had still not completed its promised analysis this year, Sablan and his territorial colleagues again wrote to Sebelius. They pointed out the long delay, asked for a date to expect completion of the work, and noted that 2010 Census data had been released showing that poverty levels in the islands were three to five times the national average. They also provided the Department with updated retail electrical prices for each of the territories.
This new data may have been what the Department needed. In describing the methodology used to make today’s decision, Department officials explained that “to determine whether it would be appropriate to increase the share of LIHEAP funds for territories, HHS compared state LIHHEE [low-income households’ home energy expenditures] to an estimated territory LIHHEE using the most current and accurate data available.
“The data indicates that the territories currently receive significantly less funding relative to need than states.”
The Department, therefore, concluded it would “increase the territorial set-aside percentage up to the statutory cap of 0.5 percent.”
Territorial cooperation
Congressman Sablan, today, also issued thanks to his fellow territorial representatives for the joint effort. “Because the law treats the territories as a unit for LIHEAP, we had to approach Secretary Sebelius as a united group,” Sablan said.
“We had to gather the necessary data from our individual jurisdictions, verify it, and compile it to show the complete picture of income levels and energy costs for the territories as a whole. That required teamwork; and teamwork produced results that benefit people in all of the areas we represent.
“We may not have a vote on the House floor, but that doesn’t stop us from being effective advocates for our people.”
Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi made a similar point in his announcement of the HHS decision to increase LIHEAP for Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas. He thanked “his fellow territory delegates for their joint efforts, especially Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan from the Northern Mariana Islands, who was instrumental in convincing HHS to increase the annual allocation to the territories.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/hhs-schedules-release-liheap-funds,HHS schedules release of LIHEAP funds,2013-11-13,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"HHS schedules release of LIHEAP funds                                           
              Nov 13, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Northern Mariana Islands is scheduled to receive $56,000 for fiscal year 2014 from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The Department of Health and Human Services recently released the LIHEAP funding nationally. Because Congress has yet to agree on appropriations for all of FY14 the funding released this week is only 90 percent of the expected annual total. The Northern Marianas will receive $50,000 initially and the balance sometime after January 15, when fiscal 2014 appropriations should be finalized. Energy costs are high in the Marianas and LIHEAP is an important way for Congress to assist those in need. The territories’ congressional representatives have petitioned the HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to increase LIHEAP grants for the island areas, which she has legal authority to do. The Department is currently conducting an analysis of the request so that any change the Secretary makes in our allotment is well-justified.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/nmi-addressing-birth-tourism-says-governor,"NMI addressing birth tourism, says governor",2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"GOVERNOR Eloy S. Inos and U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan are working with federal authorities to prevent the “small issue” of birth tourism from being “blown out of proportion.”
In a joint press conference in the Fiesta Resort & Spa’s Azucena Room yesterday, Inos and Sablan emphasized that women can’t be denied entry to the CNMI because they are pregnant.
They said they want to “contain” this issue for the sake of the health and safety of the female visitors themselves.
They also wish to avoid potential liability on the part of airlines and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. if something bad happens to the pregnant passenger on the plane or while she is on island.
Inos said it is very risky for the hospital to accept pregnant women who haven’t had prenatal care.
For his part, Sablan said the incident involving a pregnant tourist from China who hid at the airport should not happen again.
That woman, he added, should not have been allowed to board the plane in the first place.
“They are welcome to come here and enjoy our beautiful islands. There is a way to [address this issue] without being discriminatory. I think there is something we can do. Let’s keep this problem small,” Sablan said adding that he and the governor are working closely with federal authorities.
He said the CNMI wants tourists from China to continue coming here but birth tourism “is an issue that concerns all of us.”
Sablan said he and the governor have been working on the issue since April when they wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about it.
He said the governor has asked him to deal with the federal government, while Inos works with the airlines.
Sablan said he met with DHS officials in September and is expecting another meeting as soon as he returns to Washington, D.C.
“We have a small issue here that we would really like to keep contained because it took us a while to create a good image for the NMI,” Sablan said.
Inos, he added, “is giving me some instructions on what it is I may need to do and I have taken those instructions on this one issue and in many others. On this one issue, we are very closely working together.”
According to Inos, birth tourism also happens in the states but focus has shifted to the CNMI because it is only four to five hours away from China.
“So birth tourism basically has drawn the attention of the national media and, of course, the concern of folks out here and the U.S. mainland,” he added.
Inos said the CNMI is not advertising birth tourism and the visa-waiver program for Chinese is for tourism and not for foreign women who want to give birth here.
He said his administration has already reached out to tour agencies and airlines that bring Chinese tourists to Saipan.
He said they have found that, in most cases, a carrier providing scheduled flights “does not have the kind of heightened scrutiny for passengers.”
“So we have reached out and we have discussed the issue with the airlines that seem to be having this kind of situation and they promised they will ensure that their security and screening procedures are followed,” Inos said.
Variety tried to get a comment from Asiana Airlines on Saipan but its branch manager who identified himself only as Choi said only the general manager has the authority to talk on the matter. The general manager did not report for work yesterday because it was holiday.
Asiana provides regular China-Saipan flights.
Inos said “there are still a few folks that slip through the cracks so we want to make sure that this is addressed properly. We are doing it. The congressman and I have already talked to DHS and he has been following up this matter closely on the ground in D.C. to seek help.”
He said they have not seen any increase in birth tourism incidents. “In fact we are seeing fewer but it only takes one incident to really blow this out of proportion,” he said referring to the pregnant women who hid at the Saipan airport.
Inos said “maybe we can also try to identify freelance travel agencies out there who are actually booking these individuals coming over here. And that is where we have to zero in. We are not too concerned about chartered flights because we know they are controlled by just two travel agencies. But for scheduled flights, any agency that is out there could make a booking.”
Inos said that CNMI government has also reached out to the Chinese consulate in California.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/nmi-taps-dhs-chinese-govt-asiana-airlines,"NMI taps DHS, Chinese govt, Asiana Airlines",2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Weeks after national media put the CNMI on the spotlight over incidences of mostly Chinese “tourists” coming to Saipan to give birth, Gov. Eloy S. Inos and Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said yesterday they are now working with Asiana Airlines, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Chinese government to further minimize—if not totally eliminate—the so-called “birth tourism” here.

 
“Birth tourism” refers to travel for the purpose of giving birth to an automatic U.S. citizen child in the CNMI or any other U.S. state or territory.


Inos and Sablan said a closer scrutiny found that most of those who come to Saipan solely to give birth do so by boarding Asiana Airlines’ scheduled commercial flights.


This is contrary to reports that birth tourists were brought here through charter flights, whose travel agents have long put in place strict procedures to deter birth tourism.


Asiana Airlines has agreed to be more vigilant in screening their passengers, Inos and Sablan said.


“It could be a liability, too [for Asiana Airlines],” the governor said.


Inos said it would be to Asiana Airlines’ benefit “to make sure that those things don’t happen” because, among other things, the airline has to immediately bring back those passengers that were not allowed entry to the CNMI for improper or lack of required documentation.


“And so the airline would have to pick up that cost; you have to bump somebody off going back on that flight just to make sure [those turned away are sent back immediately]. So it’s an incentive for them to do the right thing,” Inos said.


But more still needs to be done, including for Asiana Airlines to identify, for example, certain independent travel agents that book flights for birth tourists.


“That’s where we have to zero in. We’re not too concerned about the chartered ones; we know they’re controlled by just two travel agencies,” the governor said.


He said despite strict policies in place, there could still be some that will slip through the cracks.

Inos said people can’t be sent away “just because they’re pregnant.”
He said they have to have proper documentation, among other things. 


Their main concern is the health of these tourists coming in.

The governor and the delegate said the two travel agencies based in the CNMI have been chartering flights between Saipan and China—Century Tours/Tinian Dynasty and TDI—but they have been carefully screening their business partners in China to avoid activities 


‘Small’ issue


It was the governor’s and the delegate’s first joint news briefing since Inos became governor in February.


At the briefing, Sablan and Inos repeatedly said birth tourism in the CNMI is “small” compared to what’s happening in U.S. states, especially on West Coast.


Both officials, however, could not say how many Chinese “tourists”—as opposed to Chinese residents—gave birth to the CNMI in recent period.


They also could not say the number of individuals that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has sent back to their country of origin for not meeting documentation requirements for certain pregnant tourists and their companions.


The key issue, according to Inos and Sablan, is that the CNMI is doing all it can to ensure that a “small” issue becomes “much, much smaller.”


“I don’t know if we can eliminate, but maybe minimize this thing. We haven’t seen any major increase in this situation. In fact we’re seeing less and less. But it only takes one incident to really blow this out of proportion but we’re dealing with it,” the governor said.


The governor also pointed out that the CNMI has never made any announcement nor intended to become a destination for birth tourism.


He added that when the CNMI was still in control of its borders, there was also strict review of visitors’ entry permit to deter questionable activities.


Inos conceded that when the CNMI gained access to Chinese tourists without U.S. visas and the CNMI being the “closest U.S. border, the focus has shifted over to the CNMI.” 


But the governor pointed out that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has done a “great job” securing the CNMI’s borders.

The governor also said the recent incident wherein a pregnant Chinese broke her water bag at the airport “shouldn’t happen here.”


Sablan said the individual “should not have boarded the flight.”


The United States is one of a few countries that observe jus soli, which grants automatic citizenship to children born within its territory, regardless of the parents’ nationality or citizenship.


Risks to CNMI


Sablan said the CNMI wants to ensure the issue becomes too insignificant so as not to risk the U.S. visa waiver for CNMI-bound Chinese tourists.


DHS’ decision to waive U.S. visa requirement for Chinese and Russian tourists has brought substantial tourism economic activities to the CNMI.


Once DHS decides to lift that waiver, the impact on the CNMI would be devastating.


“China [arrival] is huge for us here and we want to make sure it continues to grow. There may be ways that I don’t think I’m at liberty to discuss. There may be ways to do this in an amicable manner and we’re working with federal partners,” Sablan said.


The delegate said the CNMI continues to welcome tourists from China to enjoy the CNMI’s “beautiful islands,” “great weather” and “gorgeous waters.”


The governor, for his part, said the CNMI—particularly the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.—is also liable if the issue is not controlled.


These include CHC accepting women to deliver babies without knowing whether they underwent prenatal checkup or their medical history.


Moreover, these tourists are not eligible for Medicare and if the women are unable to pay, CHC takes on the burden.

“What I’m saying is, if something happens along the way, the delivery or after delivery, say the baby is not functioning properly or something like that, and the mother just walked away, I hate to see that happen, but it could be a problem,” Inos said.


But he said to his knowledge, no baby of a tourist has been abandoned at CHC.

Moreover, those who come to the CNMI for birth tourism come financially prepared, the governor said.
Inos also said one area that can be looked at is the private clinics that provide prenatal checkups to Chinese tourists.


Working with Chinese government


The governor, in responding to a media question, said his office has reached out to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, California to address the matter at hand.

“
We’ve opened the door, we brought the subject up and they’re willing to sit down and discuss about this matter,” Inos said.


Engaging the feds


In April this year, Inos and Sablan jointly wrote a letter to DHS, seeking actions to address birth tourism.


Sablan said he has been following this up with DHS and he expects to have another meeting with DHS when he gets back to Washington, D.C. this week.


He said he continues to engage the CNMI’s federal partners.

For example, the federal government could enter into an agreement with signatory airlines on additional conditions imposed on passengers that board the airlines.


“We’re not there yet but Governor Inos and I have started engaging federal authorities,” the delegate added.


High fees as deterrent


The CNMI government is also looking at increasing the cost of baby delivery at CHC for tourists as “a “disincentive” or “deterrent” to birth tourism, and not as a revenue-generating measure for the hospital.


“But listen, there’s a lot of money in China and they’re willing to pay whatever it costs to get their citizenship,” he said.


He said any increased fee would have to vetted through regulatory process.


The governor said he would also like to see a proposal to impose security deposit to ensure all expenses are covered.


Earlier, the idea of raising the cost of a birth certificate from the current $20 to $50,000 for babies of tourists was also explored.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/delta-airlines-allows-use-peds-flights,Delta Airlines allows use of PEDs on flights,2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Delta Airlines allows use of PEDs on flights                                           
              Nov 12, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Delta Airlines passengers taking off from or landing in Saipan may now use smartphones, tablets, e-readers, MP3 players, and other personal electronic devices (PEDs) during most of their time on board. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a long-standing ban after finding that radio signals from PEDs do not pose a threat to aircraft navigation systems. Delta was the first airline to apply for and receive FAA approval to implement the new policy, but neglected to include flights into U.S. territories. Thanks to quick work from Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico), Delta was alerted to the oversight and amended its policy. Restrictions are still in place outside of the U.S., so Delta passengers between Narita and Saipan will be able to use their PEDs when taking off or landing in the Northern Marianas, but not in Japan. Using PEDs for voice communications while airborne remains prohibited. To learn more about Delta’s policy go to https://news.delta.com/index.php?s=18&item=176. Information from the FAA can be found at https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/house-leaders-urged-move-water-resources-development-bill,House leaders urged to move on water resources development bill,2013-11-11,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"House leaders urged to move on water resources development bill                                           
              Nov 11, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    I joined Representative Edward Whitfield (R-Kentucky) and 28 of my colleagues in a letter urging Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi (California) to appoint members to the conference committee on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, so we can get a final vote on the bill. In October, the House passed its version, H.R. 3080, with my provision doubling the waiver of local match requirements for Army Corps projects in the Northern Marianas and other territories. The waiver provision will adjust the $200,000 waiver put in place in 1986 to an amount that reflects inflation since then. The new waiver should be in excess of $400,000, making Army Corps work, like the Garapan-Susupe drainage project, cheaper for the NMI.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/federal-assistance-marianas-farmers-and-ranchers-available,Federal assistance for Marianas farmers and ranchers available,2013-11-10,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Federal assistance for Marianas farmers and ranchers available                                           
              Nov 10, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reminds farmers and ranchers that several programs continue to be available to assist in planning and implementing conservation practices in their farmlands. These programs include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, Agricultural Management Assistance Program, and the Conservation Stewardship Program. These programs provide financial and technical assistance focusing in best conservation practices in farm plots that help the soil, water and air. Applications for 2014 are due at NRCS offices by close of business on January 17, 2014. To find out if you are eligible for any of these program, contact the Saipan Service Center at (670) 233-3415 or visit NRCS at: www.pia.nrcs.usda.gov.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/kilili-congratulates-marianas-business-plaza-500000-solar-power-grant,"Kilili congratulates Marianas Business Plaza on $500,000 solar power grant",2013-11-09,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"“Federal support is there for well-thought-out business plans that meet the needs of the community and fit our national energy policy goals,” said Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan. The Congressman was congratulating Marianas Business Plaza owner Erick van der Maas on the announcement today that he is the recipient of a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program. The grant will be used, together with $1.8 million of private financing, to construct a 650 kilowatt solar power system over the parking lot at the Business Plaza in Susupe.
The Marianas Business Plaza project was one of only five projects nationwide to receive the maximum allowable REAP grant of $500,000. Another of the maximum grants went to a solar project in Maryland; and three were for projects converting biomass to energy.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the award of 422 grants today with a total value of $14.2 million.
“Because $500,000 is the maximum grant that can be awarded by the Rural Energy for America Program,” noted Sablan, “the Marianas Business Plaza has clearly done an excellent job of justifying the planned facility and demonstrating its economic feasibility.
“Many people have talked about moving us in the direction of larger scale renewable energy, but Mr. van der Maas is demonstrating that it can really be done. I congratulate him on this success.”
The Rural Energy for America Program provides grants and loan guarantees to farms and small businesses to install solar and other renewable energy systems. REAP financing may also be used to make energy efficiency improvements to non-residential buildings and for other energy conservation purposes in rural areas.
 “Having a solar power electrical generation system on this scale in such a public place will have a substantial impact on how we all think about the energy future of the Northern Marianas,” Sablan said.
“I hope that it will encourage more energy entrepreneurs in the Northern Mariana Islands and speed our shift away from expensive and nonrenewable fossil fuels.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/report-chamber-product-over-politics,Report to Chamber: product over politics,2013-11-08,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Report to Chamber: product over politics                                           
              Nov 8, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Making opportunities and staying focused on the long game is how to get results for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, not playing politics. That was my message to the Saipan Chamber of Commerce. Getting the submerged lands around our islands returned to us in September, helping the hospital stay open this year with $27 million in new Obamacare money, driving us to the legislative five-yard line on a $33 million program to transition the NMI into the national food stamp program – these were the examples I used of opportunities I made in Congress to help our Commonwealth. Even with a Republican-led House I have been able to get NMI measures signed into law by working on both sides of the political aisle. I also reported to the Chamber on recent enactment P.L. 113-34, rescheduling minimum wage increases. Business and workers asked me to begin work on that change last year, when our economy looked much worse than it does today. I recognize that federal law is a one-size-fits-all solution, even though our economy has lots of variation. So, I encouraged individual Chamber members to decide for themselves and pay more as business improves. Our Commonwealth Legislature, too, should look at the $3.05 local minimum wage, because the federal minimum only applies to businesses making over $500,000. Raising wages – subject to economic realities – benefits our entire community. So, I will continue to support H.R. 1010, which raises the U.S. minimum to $10.10/hour. Under current law, minimum wage increases in the Northern Marianas stop when we reach $7.25/hour, but I want us to keep increasing beyond that and pay workers more.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/hopwood-honored-recognition-congress,Hopwood honored by recognition from Congress,2013-11-07,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Hopwood Junior High School principal Jonas Barcinas said it was a great honor for school to be recognized by no less than Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) during the Public School System’s Education Day celebration on Saipan last month. “I want to thank the office of our U.S. congressman for their diligent support and constant communication in providing them with all the information in order to make the tribute to Hopwood become a reality,” Barcinas said. Sablan, in the presence of Gov. Eloy S. Inos, Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider, PSS Board of Education chair Herman Guerrero, and Education Commissioner Dr. Rita Inos, gave Hopwood and Barcinas a large plaque commemorating Hopwood’s 50th year anniversary in 2012.  “We were very touched for such recognition… because we were recognized on this special day in front of all the PSS staff. Thank you, Kilili, for such a tribute and for all that you have done for Hopwood and the entire PSS family,” said Barcinas. Saipan Intermediate School, founded after World War II and the first school to offer secondary education in the Northern Mariana Islands, was renamed Hopwood Junior Senior High School in 1962. It was renamed in honor of Adm. Herbert Gladstone Hopwood, a Naval officer with 42 years of distinguished service to the U.S. armed forces, including three years as commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet. “From its humble beginnings in 1949 and to this day, Hopwood is recognized as an institution that has played a historic role in our community and continues to serve a vital role in the lives of our students and our community,” Sablan’s message in the commemorative plaque read. “I have great confidence that the school will continue to distinguish itself in the years to come. And I offer my congratulations to all those who have been affiliated with Hopwood Junior High School over these many years—teachers, staff, students, alumni, and parents,” he added. Barcinas said that Hopwood has gone through a lot of administrations each one made some great contribution to the success of this school.  “I guess I was the lucky one of the principals because a great funding source was present to help us transform this ailing campus. The [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] came just on the right time for us to help make the learning environment for our students much more conducive and safer for all. Now you can see the beautiful swan visible to the eyes for all our community.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/fy14-liheap-funds-released,FY14 LIHEAP funds released,2013-11-07,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan announced today that federal energy assistance grant funds are being released for FY14. The Northern Mariana Islands is scheduled to receive $56,000 for the year from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“Energy costs are high in the Northern Marianas and LIHEAP is an important way for Congress to assist those in need,” Sablan said. “We face electrical rates almost four times the national average and require home cooling year around, so every dollar is helpful.”
Because Congress has yet to agree on total appropriations for fiscal 2014 the LIHEAP grant announced today is only about 90 percent of the expected annual grant. The Northern Marianas will receive $50,000 initially and the balance sometime after January 15, when FY14 appropriations should be finalized. Today’s release does factor in the effect of sequestration, the forced across-the-board cuts required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.
LIHEAP provides financial assistance to qualifying low-income households to pay for heating or cooling costs. States and territories set the income threshold for recipients, although under federal law households cannot earn more than 150 percent of the federal poverty level or more than 60 percent of state/territorial median income level, whichever is higher.
The territories’ congressional representatives have petitioned the Secretary of Health and Human Services to increase grant amounts for the island areas, which the Secretary currently has legal authority to do. But so far, no adjustment has been made.
“I understand that the Department is doing a very thorough analysis of our request,” Congressman Sablan reports. “Any change the Secretary makes in our allotment has to be well-supported by data, because there are limited dollars available. Giving more to the insular areas necessarily means others receive less.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/test,Kilili asks Legislature to increase minimum wage,2013-11-07,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Kilili asks Legislature to increase minimum wage
 Published on Thursday, November 07, 2013 00:00
	By Raquel C. Bagnol - raquel.bagnol@mvariety.com - Variety News Staff
	 
 U.S. CONGRESSMAN Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan yesterday asked the business community to pay their workers more if the economy gets better and their bottom-line is improving, instead of waiting for the federal government to enforce a higher rate.
Sablan, who was yesterday’s guest at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting at Sandcastle Hyatt, also asked CNMI legislators to raise the minimum wage “if they want to show they really care.”
Sablan said the federal minimum wage is just that — the minimum rate that employers have to pay, but there is nothing in the law that says you cannot pay more.
“When workers have more money in their pockets, they will spend what they earn in your stores and your businesses. They will buy clothes for their kids, maybe get some new furniture and we will all be better off,’ Sablan said.
As for CNMI legislators, he said: “If you really care, if you really have solutions, raise the local minimum wage. Many people in the commonwealth work for small businesses or in occupations that are not even covered by the federal minimum wage.”
Sablan said that at the request of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, he pushed for the rescheduling of the federal minimum wage increase in the CNMI.
“I got your minimum-wage request through, even in the middle of all this Washington gridlock and ‘do-nothing’ Congress,” Sablan said.
But he said he did not take pleasure in that accomplishment because he wanted people to earn more money.
“I’m working to increase food-stamp benefits, because we have 10,000 hungry people but I would rather have those people earning a decent wage so they won’t need food stamps,” Sablan said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the minimum wage has gone up 82 percent in just five years.
“That’s very fast and hard for businesses to absorb,” Sablan said. Workers have told him they would rather not get a wage increase if it means losing their jobs, he added.
But the economy is finally picking up, hotels are packed and new airlines are bringing in more tourists, Sablan said.
“We have a new governor who is spending federal CIP money instead of just playing political games so circumstances have changed.”
He also noted that the islands’ Gross Domestic Product showed negative growth every year since 2005 with the exception of the year when ARRA money, through his efforts, was provided to the CNMI.
No to politics, picking sides
Sablan said that he is getting a lot of criticism from people who think he is not doing enough.
“I guess winning back our submerged lands after the federal government takeover isn’t enough. It’s not enough that the money I got for us through Obamacare helped keep the hospital open and paid for the new Kagman Community Health Center. Getting extra food-stamp money so that families I represent have a little more to eat, and maybe, getting them into SNAP soon so they will have equal treatment with other Americans, is not enough. For some, working to make sure that the NMI continues to get the over $200 million in annual federal expenditures is not enough,” Sablan said.
He is getting things done in Washington for the islands so when some people here try to drag him into a fight by picking sides and playing politics, he is going to say “No.”
“I am going to keep working for the good of everyone in the NMI,” he added.
Improved food-stamp benefits
Sablan said improving food-stamp benefits is one of his goals, and he did succeed in getting the same 13 percent increase that the rest of the nation received through federal legislation.
He said the increase ended for the rest of the U.S. on Friday, but the Northern Marianas will still get it through the end of fiscal year 2014.
But he believes it is still not good enough.
“The people here still only get half the benefits that people on Guam get because Guam in on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP,” he said.
Three-quarters of the money in the farm-policy bill that the Congress passes every five years goes to SNAP.
To include the CNMI in SNAP, Sablan said he became a member of the House Agriculture Committee, adding that the House version of the farm bill contains a $33 million pilot program that over a five-year period should bring the islands into SNAP.
Sablan said $33 million will not just buy meals for hungry people, but it will be circulated in the local economy. People will buy more from stores, and it will be good for businesses, creating jobs and generating tax revenue.
“Once we are in SNAP, according to the Congressional Budget Office, we will see an additional $20 million in our economy year after year,” he said.
Sablan said he worked with the new U.S. Department of Labor Secretary, Tom Perez, to get a decision on the extension of the federalization transition period before the end of the year.
He said he is aware that if the CNMI “zeroes out the number of CW workers in Dec. 2014 — the end of the transition period — there won’t be enough people for the labor force that businesses need.
“By law, the secretary of Labor does not have to make a decision on extension until July 2014, but if he waits until the last minute, or if he decides not to extend the transition period, your businesses and the people who work for you are going to have no time to adjust,” Sablan said.
“It would be foolish to predict what the decision will be, but they are concerned about the high unemployment among local people here. And they are concerned that not enough is being done to train our people and bring them into the work force,” Sablan said.
But U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’s decision to cap the number of CW permits at 14,000 for 2014 is a strong signal that the transition period will be extended, he added.
“If Labor was planning to zero-out CWs at the end of 2014, I think USCIS would have cut the cap by half,” Sablan said",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/kilili-chamber-pay-workers-more-minimum,Kilili to Chamber: Pay workers more than minimum,2013-11-06,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Weeks after the Saipan Chamber of Commerce got its request from Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) to have the 50-cent minimum wage increase delayed this year through legislation that President Barack Obama signed into law on Sept. 18, yesterday was Sablan’s turn to ask the Chamber for something if their bottom line is improving: Please pay your workers more. Chamber members and guests greeted Sablan’s request with warm applause and nods.
The same law that skipped the 2013 and 2015 minimum wage hike also conveyed to the CNMI 3 miles of submerged lands, which Sablan worked on since he was first sworn into office. The CNMI can now use these submerged lands for its economic development.  In his remarks at the Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting yesterday, Sablan said there is nothing in the federal minimum wage law that says employers cannot pay more than the minimum. The CNMI’s minimum wage is now at $5.55 an hour. A 2007 U.S. law requires annual increase until it reaches the federal wage floor of $7.25 an hour. “If our economy is getting better, if you have more customers, if your bottom line is improving, please pay your workers more,” Sablan said, drawing applause and nods. The delegate asked Chamber members and guests gathered at Hyatt Regency Saipan’s Sandcastle not to wait for the federal government to force them do increase their workers’ wages. Tourist arrivals and hotel occupancy have posted considerable increases, and the government’s actual revenue collections have exceeded projections. “Pay your workers more. Because when your workers have more money in their pockets, we all do better. Those workers will spend what they earn—in your stores, at your businesses,” he told the crowd. Just so the business community doesn’t feel that he’s picking on them, Sablan also shone light on some of the CNMI lawmakers and others, some of whom criticize him for thinking he doesn’t do enough for them. The delegate cited, among other things, the submerged lands conveyance despite a gridlock in Congress, some $120 million in Medicaid under Obamacare, getting extra food stamps, and continued over $200 million in annual federal spending. “Well, to those people—and I won’t mention any names—if you want to show how much you care, then raise the minimum wage. We have a local minimum wage law. It’s still stuck at $3.05 an hour. And many people in the Commonwealth work for small business or in occupations that are not even covered by the federal minimum,” he said. The Northern Marianas Descent Corp., among other groups, has been opposing a CNMI-specific provision in a U.S. Senate national immigration reform bill. That bill, S. 744, provides a pathway to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented aliens in America. The CNMI provision grants pathway to green card to long-term, legal foreign workers in the CNMI. Rep. Felicidad Ogumoro (R-Saipan), one of the members of the NMD Corp., said Sablan should not “sidetrack” the issue of immigration reform with minimum wage. “We are not talking about salary increases, please don’t sidetrack the issue. We want to get an answer to our questions with regards to the immigration reform bill. What is keeping him from sitting down with us? He’s the best person to explain because he’s the one that put that provision in S. 744,” Ogumoro told Saipan Tribune during a House session break late yesterday afternoon. Sablan said there are people who are not interested in solutions. “They are all about politics, the politics of pitting one group of people against another. It’s not just here. It’s why we have gridlock in Washington. But part of the reason I have been successful in Washington is that I have tried to stay away from the push and pull of politics. I try to stay focused on my job, working to help the people of the Northern Marianas,” he said. Obamare  As an aside, Sablan said he wants to address some confusion about the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. “Most of Obamacare does not apply in the Marianas. Your employers don’t have to buy health insurance for workers,” he said. Individuals here are also not required to buy insurance. There are no tax penalties either. Sablan said given the mess the healthcare rollout has been, he’s glad the CNMI is not involved. But he said looking forward, five or 10 years, “I think we may want to get on board.” “Because making sure everyone in the Commonwealth can see a doctor when they need to, getting the federal government to help everyone pay for health insurance—those are worthwhile goals I think,” he said. Former Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann was also a Chamber guest speaker. He spoke about the development of a Marianas chapter of the Pacific Century Fellows Program, a leadership development program.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/saipan-tribune-asylum-rules-apply-2015-not-2014,"Asylum rules to apply in 2015, not 2014",2013-11-06,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Asylum rules to apply in 2015, not 2014
Kilili cites technical error in PL 110-229 that causes confusion
Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said yesterday that Jan. 1, 2015, is the correct date wherein the CNMI can start accepting asylum application—not Jan. 1, 2014 as he earlier told Saipan Tribune. He said the confusion results from a technical error in U.S. Public Law 110-229, the law that placed CNMI immigration under federal control, which states that asylum application is not permitted “before Jan. 1, 2014.” Federal rule later stated “no application for asylum may be filed prior to Jan. 1, 2015.” Sablan made the clarification about his earlier statement at yesterday’s meeting of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, wherein he was one of the guest speakers.  Attorney Maya Kara asked Sablan during the Chamber meeting about the asylum issue, and that’s when Sablan made the clarification. Just the same, Sablan later said, the CNMI would work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the asylum provision exemption will also be extended if the federalization transition period is extended beyond 2014. Thus, if the transition period ending Dec. 31, 2014, is extended by five years, then the CNMI would request that the asylum exemption be extended also up to Dec. 31, 2019. “We have reached out to agencies and other members of Congress in exploring, or attaching the exemption of the asylum provision, to become effective upon the termination of the transition period so that if the transition period is extended, then the asylum issue is also extended,” he said in an interview. Sablan said the asylum issue is one “that we have to build agreement with DHS before we even move forward.” He said DHS’ agreement to the idea is “critical.” “And I can say that I’ve been looking at this for quite some time, with much greater attention this year,” he added. PL 110-229 isolated the CNMI from the rest of the United States with respect to applications for asylum.  In Section 702(j) of this law, it states “Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize or require any person described in section 208(e) to be permitted to apply for asylum under section 208 at any time before Jan. 1, 2014.” “The law still states Jan. 1, 2014, and this is causing confusion. DHS said the proper date is Jan. 1, 2015, and the Jan. 1, 2014, is a technical error,” Sablan said. Another portion of PL 110-229 says that Section 208 (asylum) of the Immigration and Nationality Act “shall not apply during the transition period to persons physically present in the Commonwealth or arriving in the Commonwealth…” but did not specify a date. It’s been seven months since Sablan and Gov. Eloy S. Inos jointly wrote a letter to the Obama administration, asking for an extension of the CNMI’s exemption from accepting asylum applications, thinking that the exemption would expire Jan. 1, 2014. Without anything to delay the exemption, the CNMI has to abide by law, Sablan had said. The CNMI is concerned that allowing the law’s provision on asylum to apply as scheduled would open the floodgates for asylum seekers coming here as tourists, including under a U.S. visa waiver program that could also potentially derail the parole program for Chinese and Russian tourists, among other things. An equally serious concern is catching the ire of the Chinese government, which could pull the plug on airlines servicing the China-CNMI route and could hurt the islands’ tourism numbers.  In the past, most applicants for refugee protection and asylum, for example, were from China. They claimed they would be persecuted or killed for political reasons if they are sent back to China. Tourists from China and Russia can stay in the CNMI for up to 45 days without being required to secure a U.S. visa—a DHS program that has helped boost the islands’ tourism numbers.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/deadline-extended-transportation-cost-reimbursement,Deadline extended for transportation cost reimbursement,2013-11-05,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Deadline extended for transportation cost reimbursement                                           
              Nov 5, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Farmers, who have already applied for the Reimbursement Transportation Cost Payment Program (RTCP) for Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers program, have been given an extra 18 days to submit support documents. The Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency announced recently that the deadline has been pushed back to November 22, 2013 because of the government shutdown in October. The RTCP helps farmers in the Northern Marianas and other remote areas pay some of the costs of purchasing fertilizer, seed, equipment, and other farm inputs and of shipping crops to market. To qualify for assistance, farmers and ranchers may not have non-farm income over $500,000. Their farm lands must also be worked in compliance with the USDA approved land conservation methods and wetlands protection requirements. For more information, contact the USDA Farm Service Agency at (670)236-0896.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/number-helped-obamacare-nmi-continues-grow,Number helped by Obamacare in NMI continues to grow,2013-11-04,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Number helped by Obamacare in NMI continues to grow                                           
              Nov 4, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The number of people on Medicare in the Northern Mariana Islands, who are getting help from the Affordable Care Act, continues to grow. 18 man'amko and persons with disabilities received prescription drug discounts averaging $468.81 so far this year. That is up from the 13 Medicare beneficiaries who got the drug discount in 2011. The discounts are available for those who reach the so-called ""donut hole,"" the gap in coverage between regular Medicare drug coverage and catastrophic coverage. This year the gap starts at $2,970. Once a Medicare beneficiary reaches that limit the new Affordable Care Act kicks in, paying 52.5 percent of the cost of covered brand-name prescription drugs bought at a pharmacy or ordered through the mail and 28 percent of the cost of generics. Coverage for both brand-name and generic drugs in the gap will continue to increase over time until 2020, when Obamacare will close the ""donut hole"" completely.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/social-security-benefits-rise,Social Security benefits to rise,2013-11-02,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Social Security benefits to rise                                           
              Nov 2, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Social Security recipients will see a 1.5 percent increase in their benefits beginning in January 2014. For a recipient receiving the national average benefit of $1,294, that means another $19 each month. The COLA rate varies from year to year depending on change in the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners (CPI-W), a measure of inflation. In addition, it was announced this week that the cap on earnings subject to the FICA withholding tax that pays for Social Security will rise from $113,000 this year to $117,000 for 2014. This increase helps reinforce the long-term solvency of the Social Security retirement insurance system. For more information, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/house-senate-conferees-meet-farm-bill-nmi-snap,House-Senate conferees meet on farm bill with NMI SNAP,2013-11-01,2013,2013-11,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"House-Senate conferees meet on farm bill with NMI SNAP                                           
              Nov 1, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The $33 million pilot program that would eventually bring the Northern Mariana Islands into the national food stamp program, SNAP, has moved another step forward. The conference committee responsible for reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the ""farm bill"" had its first official meeting on Wednesday. The NMI SNAP program is part of the House bill, Section 4032 of H.R. 2642, drafted by Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma). Lucas was elected to chair the 41-member conference committee. Conferees made opening statements, most expressed a commitment to work together to produce a final bill that can pass both the House and Senate. Although there has been opposition to including the NMI pilot program from some outside conservatives, I think that managing SNAP in the same way nationwide is very consistent with conservative goals of reform and increased accountability. Chairman Lucas and his Democratic counterpart on the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), have been incredibly patient and hardworking over the last three years. Those are the qualities that will be needed to get a farm bill to the President's desk for signature.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/army-corps-projects-could-cost-commonwealth-less,Army Corps projects could cost the Commonwealth less,2013-10-28,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Army Corps projects could cost the Commonwealth less                                           
              Oct 28, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Water Resources Reform and Development Act — with my provision doubling the waiver of local match requirements for Army Corps projects in the Northern Marianas and other territories — passed the House on a 417-3 vote.  The Senate has also passed a reauthorization, so House and Senate bills now go to a conference committee for reconciliation.  Only the House bill contains the waiver provision, which will adjust the $200,000 waiver put in place in 1986 to an amount that reflects inflation since then.  The new waiver should be in excess of $400,000.  More work remains to keep this provision in the bill that comes out of conference, but doubling the waiver amount will make it less expensive for the Commonwealth to match federal dollars for Army Corps undertakings and in some cases mean not paying any local match at all.  Typical Corps projects include the Rota Harbor improvements completed in 2008, the on-going Susupe-Chalan Kanoa Drainage Plan to address flooding in those villages, or the planned Outer Cove Marina project and the Saipan Lagoon Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/social-security-retirees-may-be-eligible-benefit-recalculation,Social Security retirees may be eligible for benefit recalculation,2013-10-22,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Social Security retirees may be eligible for benefit recalculation                                           
              Oct 22, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Now that the Settlement Agreement in the case of Johnson vs. Inos has been finalized, Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund retirees are seeing their benefits reduced by 25%. As a result of this cut, retirees who also receive social security benefits may be eligible for a recalculation of these benefits. This is because these retirees may have been subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision when their social security benefit was first calculated. The WEP lowers the social security benefit of persons who are also receiving a pension from an employer, such as the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands, that did not withhold social security taxes. The Social Security Administration handles question of this nature on a case by case basis. NMIRF pensioners, receiving social security, may want to contact their local SSA office to see if they are eligible for a recalculation of benefits.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/constituents-white-house-reopens-tours,Constituents: White House reopens for tours,2013-10-21,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Constituents: White House reopens for tours                                           
              Oct 21, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Visitors from the Northern Mariana Islands will be glad to learn that in addition to the reopening of the Smithsonian museums in Washington and the memorials and monuments on the Mall after the government shutdown, the White House has now announced that it will be open for tours again. Tours were cancelled earlier this year when funding was cut. Tours will become available after November 5. As always, however, tickets will be limited; and the earlier you request tickets through your congressional office the better your chances of getting in to see the East Wing and the Executive Residence. A tour of the White House can be a highlight of any visit to the nation’s capital. We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to constituents again. Submit your request at https://sablan.house.gov/serving-you/tours-and-tickets or email me at kilili@mail.house.gov.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/president-nominates-new-head-homeland-security,President nominates new head for Homeland Security,2013-10-18,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"President nominates new head for Homeland Security                                           
              Oct 18, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    This afternoon, President Obama announced his nomination of Mr. Jeh Johnson to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The Department includes the Coast Guard, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Transportation Security Administration, the Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Emergency Management Administration – all agencies that have an active role in the Northern Mariana Islands. Mr. Johnson would replace Janet Napolitano, who left office in August to lead the University of California system and who was instrumental in many decisions that have helped to make the transition to federal management of immigration in the Marianas less difficult. I look forward to building an equally cordial and cooperative working relationship with Mr. Johnson and congratulate him on this most important assignment from President Obama. For a look at the President’s introduction of Mr. Johnson in the Rose Garden today go here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/us-fiscal-impasse-ends,U.S. fiscal impasse ends,2013-10-17,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and his minority counterpart Mitch McConnell of Kentucky reached agreement today to fund the U.S. government through January 15 of next year and to give the nation sufficient borrowing authority to last through February 7. Their accord, which ends 16 days of government shutdown and high anxiety over the possibility that America could default on its debt, was approved on a 81 to 18 vote in the U.S. Senate at 8:15 p.m. EST. The House followed two hours later, approving the temporary spending bill and debt limit increase, by a vote of 285 to 144. Democrats in the House accounted for 198 of the yes votes that will put federal employees back to work as early as tomorrow, and restore funding for veterans programs, the national parks, Head Start and nutritional assistance, and a myriad of other federal programs on hold since the October 1 beginning of the fiscal year. A majority of House Republicans opposed.
Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan issued the following statement on the resolution of the weeks-long impasse over government finances:
“Americans in the Northern Mariana Islands and throughout our country have lost income and had their well-being placed at risk, because of this needless shutdown of our national government. So, I am very glad to see it ended. I congratulate Mr. Reid and Mr. McConnell, in particular, for working together successfully in the best interest of the nation.
“I know that federal employees in the Northern Mariana Islands share my relief to learn that they will be paid for the time they were locked out of their workplaces. I know that those in the Commonwealth government who are paid with federal funds will breathe easier; and the contractors and workers whose jobs require federal funds will be glad to know they can keep building. And I am sure that the many individuals and families who depend on federal education and health programs to make their lives better will be thankful that this crisis is over.
“But we must all be concerned that the underlying issue of balancing the national books remains unresolved and that we could face another shutdown and debt ceiling showdown at the beginning of next year.
“Senators Reid and McConnell’s agreement does call for a renewed effort to put together a budget that addresses the long-term costs our government faces by mid-December. That effort could end the uncertainty hanging over all of our lives and slowing down our economic recovery.
“In putting our fiscal house in order, however, I believe we have to commit ourselves to supporting the education of our people at all stages of life, so we ensure that we have a strong middle class and not a nation with a growing gap where the middle used to be. And we must also make certain that the infrastructure of public services that underlies our economy and the American standard of living is at full strength everywhere in our country, including our islands.
“The people of the Northern Marianas may not have a vote in the U.S. Congress, but I will continue to work in the days ahead to ensure that our voice is heard in all these national deliberations.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/apply-now-us-service-academies,Apply now for the U.S. service academies,2013-10-15,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Apply now for the U.S. service academies                                           
              Oct 15, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Young men and women from the Northern Marianas, interested in a college education and committed to serving our country, may apply now for a congressional nomination to one of the U.S. Service Academies. As a result of the provision I added to U.S. Public Law 111-84, there are four openings available this year: two at the Naval Academy, one at the Air Force Academy and one at the Military Academy at West Point. One slot is open, too, at the Merchant Marine Academy. Attending any of the academies is a unique opportunity to obtain a topnotch education and an officer’s commission in return for five years of service. As your Congressman, I make nominations, but the final selection among nominees is made by academy admission officials. They look for strong grades in high school, high SAT or ACT scores, physical ability, and leadership potential. More information and an application form are available at https://sablan.house.gov/serving-you/military-academy-nominations. You may also go to your local congressional office with your questions. Applications are due by December 13, 2013. Start now to prepare your application.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/shutdown-updates,SHUTDOWN UPDATES:,2013-10-11,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"SHUTDOWN UPDATES:                     As the U.S. Government shutdown continues into day eleven, here are some of the actions I have taken to help bring this crisis to a close.                      
              Oct 11, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
     Caucus meets with President Obama – Along with most members of the House Democratic Caucus, I met at the White House on Wednesday with President Barack Obama to discuss the shutdown and the looming debt limit crisis. House Republicans’ decision to close down the government on October 1, unless they could repeal the Affordable Care Act, was creating real hardship. Federal employees in the Northern Marianas and around the country were furloughed without pay. Head Start, the Women, Infants, and Children program, and other federal funds we rely on were running low. The President expressed his commitment to reopening the government and restoring services to the American people. He also remained firm that we cannot put our economy and the world’s economy at risk by threatening to default on U.S. debt. Once the government is reopened and the threat to our economic well-being is removed, he said he is more than willing to have a conversation with Congress about any aspect of the federal government’s fiscal policy, a course of action I support.
 As we prepare to publish on Friday it is reported that the President and Republicans are now working on a deal to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling in exchange for a plan to begin negotiations about fiscal issues.
 Territories want vote on discharge petitions – A “discharge petition” to bring a bill reopening the government to the floor for a vote was filed on October 4, but the Rules of the House do not allow the representatives from the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to sign the petition. We want to add our signatures, so the House can have an up or down vote on ending the shutdown. So, we have introduced legislation, H.Res.374, amending the Rules and allowing us to file or sign discharge petitions, which give a majority of House members the power to force a vote on any bill. H.Res.374 is unlikely to pass in the midst of the shutdown drama. But we believe it is important to make the point that federal programs and services are important to all Americans – no matter where they live. My thanks to Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, who drafted H.Res.374.
	Democrats ask to put federal government back to work – I joined 199 Democrats in a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner this week, urging a vote on funding the entire federal government and ending the shutdown. Republicans have insisted on defunding the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in return for keeping the government open. Although not all aspects of the Act apply in the Northern Mariana Islands, we are receiving $109 million in extra Medicaid money, which is helping keep the Commonwealth Health Center in operation, and the Kagman Community Health Center was paid for by Obamacare. Our Man’amko on Medicare are now eligible for free preventive care and some have seen prescription drug reimbursements improve. NMI families with health insurance benefited from rebates averaging $187 last year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, because of the Affordable Care Act. I do not support repealing the law, although I am certainly open to improving Obamacare and making health insurance more affordable in the Northern Mariana Islands.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/kilili-apply-now-us-service-academies,Kilili: Apply now for U.S. service academies,2013-10-10,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan opened nominations for the U.S. service academies today.  There are five slots available this year for men and women from the Northern Mariana Islands, who want to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point.
“Attending one of the U.S. service academies is a unique opportunity to obtain a fine education without cost,” Sablan said.  “In return, graduates commit to the military for a minimum of five years, entering service with their college degree and an officer’s commission.”
As a Member of Congress, Sablan is able to nominate up to ten qualified young people from the Northern Mariana Islands for each available slot at an academy.  The admissions board of each academy then selects among Sablan’s nominees, looking for potential students who meet standards for academic achievement, leadership potential, physical conditioning, and moral character.
In this year’s admission cycle for students entering the 2014-2015 school year, there are two slots at the Naval Academy, one at the Air Force Academy, one at West Point, and one at the Merchant Marine Academy.
An applicant must meet the following basic requirements as of July 1, 2014 to be eligible for admission:
 Age: at least 17 and under 23 years old;
	Citizenship: must be a U.S. citizen;
	Marital Status: must be unmarried, not pregnant, and without legal obligation to support children or other dependents;
	Academic Standing: must have superior grades and test scores;
	Skill/Fitness: must meet the medical and physical requirements of the Academy.
 Application forms and information on the nomination process can be found on the congressional website, https://sablan.house.gov/ and at congressional district offices on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian. The deadline for submitting a nomination package to a district office for school year 2014-2015 is December 13, 2013. Prospective nominees are encouraged to submit all required documents as soon as possible.
Northern Mariana Islanders were previously allotted only one position at a time at each academy. But Sablan was able to double the number of slots for the NMI with passage of U.S. Public Law 111-84.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/delegates-bring-concerns-new-ranking-member-peter-defazio,Delegates bring concerns to new Ranking Member Peter DeFazio,2013-10-09,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"At the request of Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan the new Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Peter DeFazio (D–Oregon), met with representatives of the U.S. insular areas today.  The Delegates from the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico used the occasion to brief DeFazio on a variety of legislative concerns.  DeFazio took over the Ranking Member position on the Committee after the election of Ed Markey, the previous Ranking Member, to the U.S. Senate.
“I am very appreciative that Mr. DeFazio took the time to review our legislative agenda,” Sablan said.  “Insular area policy is under the jurisdiction of the Natural Resources Committee, so it is important that the Democratic leader on the Committee be fully informed of our legislative goals.”
Sablan, himself, is the Ranking Member on the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs, and so took responsibility for making sure that the Delegates and Resident Commissioner had this opportunity.
Attending the briefing with Mr. DeFazio were Delegates Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam), and Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), and Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico).
Among the issues discussed at today’s meeting was Sablan’s Territorial Omnibus Act, H.R. 2200, which is a compilation of legislative initiatives from each of the insular areas.  That bill also has a companion in the Senate, S. 1237, introduced at Sablan’s request by Ron Wyden (D–Oregon), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, together with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the Committee’s Ranking Member.  The Senate Committee had a hearing on S.1237 bill on July 11.
The insular areas representative urged DeFazio to work with the Committee’s Republican leadership to schedule hearings on H.R. 2200 and other matters important to the islands, including the impacts of military activity, high energy costs, and the need for economic development incentives targeted to U.S. territories.
Insular area representatives Eni F.V. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Donna M.C. Christensen (U.S. Virgin Islands), Madeleine Z. Bordallo (Guam), Pedro R. Pierluisi (Puerto Rico), and Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands) met with Rep. Peter DeFazio (center) to discuss territorial legislative issues today. DeFazio is the new Ranking Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction over insular affairs.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/sablan-attends-caucus-meeting-obama-government-shutdown,Sablan attends Caucus meeting with Obama on government shutdown,2013-10-09,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Sablan attends Caucus meeting with Obama on government shutdown                                           
              Oct 9, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, along with most members of the House Democratic Caucus, met at the White House today with President Barack Obama to discuss their position on the ongoing government shutdown.  Attempts by House Republicans to condition all government funding for the fiscal year that began on October 1 to a delay of the Affordable Care Act led to the shutdown now in its second week.
“The President remains firm,” Sablan said.  “He believes that we need to open the government and restore services to the American people.  He believes that we cannot put our economy and the world’s economy at risk by threatening to default on U.S. debt.  And, once the government is reopened and the threat to our economic well-being is removed, he is more than willing to have a conversation about any aspect of the federal government’s fiscal policy.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/shutdown-hurts-all-americans,Shutdown hurts all Americans,2013-10-08,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Shutdown hurts all Americans                                           
              Oct 8, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    As your representative, I work to maintain good relationships with Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress in order to get what is best for the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.  So, I am not going to lay blame for the ongoing shutdown of the U.S. government.  Democrats are willing to accept a spending level for fiscal year 2014 at the level set by the House Republican budget in March.  Republicans will not agree to that without cuts or delays in Obamacare.  If the people of the Northern Marianas had a vote, I would support funding the government with a short term continuing resolution, giving the leaders of both parties a month or two to come to terms.  A shutdown just costs the government money – the 1996 closure cost over $1 billion – and hurts the economy.  Although some essential services continue, many federal employees are laid off.  Unsure if they will be paid, they cut back on spending; and that further damages the economy.  For this reason, I have co-sponsored H.R. 3223, the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act, guaranteeing their lost pay, when the shutdown ends.  In the meantime, negotiation, respect, and compromise are required, before any more harm comes to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and America. The Office of Management and Budget has published guidance for how each individual federal department and agency is to manage operations during the shutdown.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/northern-marianas-included-new-democratic-immigration-bill,Northern Marianas included in new Democratic immigration bill,2013-10-07,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Northern Marianas included in new Democratic immigration bill                                           
              Oct 7, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Using the bipartisan bill already passed by 68 Senate Republicans and Democrats as a model, House Democrats introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill.  The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, H.R. 15, addresses our nation’s overall immigration problems and includes provisions specific to the needs of the Northern Mariana Islands.  I am an original co-sponsor.  People who were protected under Commonwealth immigration law – those born in the Northern Marianas before 1978 or given permanent residence status under CNMI law – and members of U.S.-citizen families will have protection under federal law, and after five years may apply to be U.S. permanent residents, if they want.  H.R. 15 could also help stabilize our economy.  Our population has dropped from 80,000 to 50,000; and we cannot afford to lose more consumers and taxpayers.  H.R. 15 allows legal nonresidents to remain, work, and with 15 years continuous presence apply for a green card.  Passage remains an uphill climb.  Many in Congress and around our nation oppose reform.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/167503-awarded-pss,"$167,503 awarded to PSS",2013-10-04,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$167,503 awarded to PSS                                           
              Oct 4, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families/Administration for Native Americans has awarded the Public School System $167,503 for the first year of a three-year Traditional Technology Project.  PSS will use innovative classroom tools to increase the technological proficiency of students; and the Project’s collection of the community elders’ stories will help preserve the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures, languages, and histories.  Congratulations PSS!",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/more-northern-marianas-2010-census-data-now-available,More Northern Marianas 2010 Census data now available,2013-10-01,2013,2013-10,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"More Northern Marianas 2010 Census data now available                                           
              Oct 1, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Census Bureau has released Part 2 of the detailed cross tabulations from the 2010 Census in the Northern Mariana Islands.  Demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the population are broken down by place of birth, education, labor force status, occupation, industry, income, and earnings.  You can find, for instance, information on the percentage of individuals over 16, who have health insurance: 59.4% in 2010, the number of local government workers: 4,832, or our average travel time to work: 12.7 minutes.  Part 1, which included cross tabulations by age, sex, ethnic origin, and race, was released in July.  Both Parts 1 and 2 can be accessed at the Census Bureau’s website.  For more information about 2010 Census products for the Northern Mariana Islands, visit the Island Areas page.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/doing-more-make-sure-local-workers-get-jobs,Doing more to make sure local workers get jobs,2013-09-30,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Doing more to make sure local workers get jobs                                           
              Sep 30, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    I have asked for an update on efforts by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to step up investigation of employers alleged to be hiring CW workers while turning away U.S. workers who are qualified for jobs.  USCIS announced last year that it would do more to make sure local workers get the preference required by law.  In my letter to USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, I requested information on how many investigations there have been, how many employers found at fault, and what action was taken against them.  I also asked for his evaluation of the effectiveness of these measures and ideas on what more can be done to ensure employer compliance with the requirements to hire U.S. workers first.  Taking action to protect U.S. workers is especially critical now, as the Secretary of Labor deliberates on whether or not to extend the CW program beyond December 31, 2014.  The grant of an extension should not be an excuse to reduce efforts to assure that qualified U.S. workers are hired.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/615185-grant-stop-violence-against-women-program,"$615,185 grant for STOP Violence Against Women program",2013-09-29,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$615,185 grant for STOP Violence Against Women program                                           
              Sep 29, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Northern Mariana Islands Justice Planning Agency has been awarded $615,185 to address violence against women.  Congress appropriates the funds to encourage the development and implementation of effective, victim-centered law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies when women are the victims of violence.  The money may also be used to improve direct services to women in these cases.  Congratulations to CJPA.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/395430-cops-grant-awarded-dps,"$395,430 COPS grant awarded to DPS",2013-09-28,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$395,430 COPS grant awarded to DPS                                           
              Sep 28, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants allow state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire police officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs, and to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.  This grant will provide salary and benefits for officers in the CNMI.  Congratulations to DPS.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/energy-plans-aim-reduce-consumer-costs,Energy plans aim to reduce consumer costs,2013-09-27,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Energy plans aim to reduce consumer costs                                           
              Sep 27, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    Newly released energy plans paid for with technical assistance funds from Congress may help lower costs for consumers in the Northern Mariana Islands.  The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation charges over 40 cents per kilowatt hour – three and a half times the U.S. average – because CUC is completely dependent on expensive diesel fuel.  The Interior Department’s Office of Insular Affairs contracted with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy to help develop a long-term strategic energy plan for the NMI and short-term energy action plans aimed at reducing this dependence on diesel.  The strategic plan recommends reducing the cost of energy by providing subsidies for renewable projects. Short-term options include installation of waste-to-energy systems and outreach and education efforts to encourage the use of prepaid meters and other energy conservation methods.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/nmhc-receives-1342758-hud-grant,"NMHC receives $1,342,758 in HUD grant",2013-09-27,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"NMHC receives $1,342,758 in HUD grant                                           
              Sep 27, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The CNMI Northern Marianas Housing Corporation (NMHC) received $1,342,758 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this week.  These grants are enumerated below which will help create strong and sustainable communities and quality affordable homes for the people of the CNMI.  Congratulations to NMHC.
 $968,331 for the Community Development Block Grant Program: CDBG program funds must be used primarily to benefit low- and moderate-income persons.  In addition all projects must prevent or eliminate slums or blight or address community development needs related to a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community.
	$48,743 for the Emergency Solutions Grants Program: The ESG program assists individuals and families to regain permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness.
	$325,684 for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program: HOME grants help government and nonprofit partnerships build, buy, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or provide direct rental assistance to low-income people.
 Congratulatons to NMHC!",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/waiver-matching-funds-doubled-army-corps-projects-marianas,Waiver of matching funds doubled for Army Corps projects in the Marianas,2013-09-26,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Waiver of matching funds doubled for Army Corps projects in the Marianas                                           
              Sep 26, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    I have successfully led an effort by the territorial Delegates to double the waiver of local cost sharing required for Army Corps of Engineers projects in the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.  The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee added a provision to the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013, H.R. 3080, that will adjust the waiver to account for inflation over the last 27 years.  When WRDA was enacted in 1986, the territories were allowed a $200,000 waiver of any local matching requirement for Army Corps projects, but the value of that waiver has halved over time.  H.R. 3080 is expected to go to the House floor in October.  If enacted, this change in local match will make it more possible for the NMI to use the Army Corps for projects that improve navigation, reduce flood and typhoon damage, and restore aquatic ecosystems.  I thank Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) and Ranking Member Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia) for their support of the U.S. territories.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/cw-limit-fy14-cut-14000,"CW limit for FY14 cut to 14,000",2013-09-25,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has sent word to Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan of the decision to reduce the number of Commonwealth-Only Transitional -- CW -- workers to 14,000 for the fiscal year beginning October 1.  This cuts 1,000 permits from the 15,000 allowed in fiscal 2013; and is 8,417 fewer than allowed in 2012.
Sablan said that he was satisfied with the number.  “This cut will increase the pressure to give jobs to qualified U.S. workers, which is our long-term goal.
“Businesses will have to do more to recruit local workers.  And our government and educational system will have to do more to train local workers for jobs in the Northern Mariana Islands economy.
“At the same time, USCIS is continuing to provide some room for economic growth.  With visitor arrivals increasing, hotel occupancy rates high, resort renovations on the drawing boards, and a new commitment from the local government to spend the backlog of federal capital improvement grants, there will be new jobs created; and local workers may not be available or want every job.”
In announcing the cap for 2014 the agency said it based its decision in part on the need to accommodate the expected extension of permits for 12,247 CW workers granted during 2012.  The 14,000 limit “will also accommodate possible economic growth that might lead to a need for additional nonimmigrant workers during FY 2014,” according to the notice to be published in the Federal Register.
Congressman Sablan said he remains concerned about striking the right balance that puts local workers into jobs and still allows the economy to grow.  For that reason he has written to USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, asking for an update on efforts the agency announced last year to step up investigations of employers who are alleged to be hiring CW workers while turning away U.S. workers who are qualified for jobs.
“Specifically, I would like to know the number of complaints that have been received, the number of complaints investigated, the number of employers found at fault, and what action may have been taken against them,” Sablan wrote.
“I would also request an evaluation of the effectiveness of these current measures and your assessment of additional steps that may be needed to ensure compliance among employers in the Northern Marianas.”
Sablan has also included a provision in his Territorial Omnibus Act, H.R. 2200, that will require stricter accountability and performance reports to Congress on the use of the $150 fee that employers pay for each CW permit issued.  The money is distributed to the Commonwealth government, but there is no accounting of whether the funds are being used effectively.
“So far, the Commonwealth has received well over $1 million to help train local workers for jobs in our economy,” Sablan said.  “I think it is reasonable for Congress to ask how many U.S. workers found jobs as a result of that substantial expenditure.  Twenty?  Thirty?  Fifty?
“If the money is not being used effectively, we need to know, so we can make sure we are helping local workers get jobs.”
The Consolidated Natural Resources Act extended U.S. immigration law to the Northern Marianas beginning in 2009.  The Act provided a transition period and established the Commonwealth-Only Transitional Worker classification to meet the need for workers that would not otherwise be eligible under federal law.  It also requires the number of CW workers to be reduced each year and to reach zero by December 31, 2014, unless the transition period is extended by the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
The notice of the decision to set the cap at 14,000 for next year takes note of the possibility that the transition period may be extended:
“To date, the Department of Labor has not announced a decision on the extension of the program.  However, [the Department of Homeland Security] must prepare for both the end of the transitional worker program and for an extension of the transitional worker program; a drastic reduction [in the number of CW permits] would not account for the possibility of an extension.
“DHS thus believes that a reduction of only 6.7 percent or 1,000 is appropriate because the new baseline must preserve access to foreign labor, as well as accommodate future reductions, if the DOL extends the transitional worker program.”
Sablan met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy, Dr. James H. Moore, last week to be briefed on the decision on extending the transition period.  Moore is responsible for the team analyzing the Northern Mariana Islands labor force and economy and for making a recommendation on the extension to the Secretary of Labor, who makes the final decision.
Congressman Sablan supports the extension and has urged that the Secretary make the decision this year to remove economic uncertainty.
The Department of Homeland Security notice setting the CW limit for 2014 is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 (EST).  A pre-publication version of the notice is available for viewing online at https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2013-23289.pdf.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/national-park-study-act-authorizes-rota-study,National Park Study Act authorizes Rota study,2013-09-25,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"National Park Study Act authorizes Rota study                                           
              Sep 25, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    I introduced the National Park Service Study Act of 2013, H.R. 3131, authorizing the review of areas on Rota and over a dozen other sites around the country for possible inclusion in the National Park system.  My bill authorizing a study of the feasibility and suitability of creating a Rota National Park, H.R. 573, has already passed the House of Representatives and has received a hearing in the Senate.  But the larger bill I have now introduced, because it contains areas important to other Members of Congress, may have a better chance of eventually being enacted into law.  Included in H.R. 3131 are the Kau coast of the island of Hawai’i, Mahaulepu on Kauai, and Maui’s North Coast; sites in Alaska associated with the forced abandonment of Aleut villages during World War II; Japanese relocation centers in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Arkansas; mining-era sites in Nevada; New York’s Hudson River Valley; the Norman Studios in Florida, where African-American casts and crews were used in the making of silent films; the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in the state of Mississippi; Galveston Bay, Texas; the Pullman railcar site in Illinois; and historic areas on Midway Atoll.  Not all of these areas will eventually be added to the National Park system.  But, like Rota, each has unique significance in our national history that warrants consideration for the honor of designation as a National Park.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/republican-cr-strips-obamacare-medicaid-funds-nmi,Republican CR strips Obamacare Medicaid funds for NMI,2013-09-24,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Republican CR strips Obamacare Medicaid funds for NMI                                           
              Sep 24, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Republican continuing resolution to keep the federal government open contains numerous unacceptable provisions that could lead to a government shutdown after September 30.  For instance, the Republican’s proposal would strip the Northern Mariana Islands and the other U.S. territories of new Medicaid funding as part of the effort to defund Obamacare.  That new law is providing $109 million in additional Medicaid funding for the NMI, money that is helping to keep our hospital open.  Veterans, too, are at risk of losing access to services and face delays in medical claims processing, if the CR passes.  To prevent that, I have joined with 36 of my colleagues to ask President Obama to designate certain Department of Veterans Affairs employees “essential” in the event of a government shutdown.  This will insure continuity of service to our veterans, who served our country without excuse or delay.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/snap-pilot-program-back-table,SNAP pilot program back on the table,2013-09-23,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"SNAP pilot program back on the table                                           
              Sep 23, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    $32.5 million for the Northern Mariana Islands to test the feasibility of joining the national food stamp program passed the House by a narrow vote of 217-210.  The five-year pilot program is part of the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act, H.R. 3102, introduced by Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.  The $32.5 million is in addition to the annual Nutritional Assistance Program block grant the NMI receives, currently $12.148 million.  Mr. Lucas and his Democratic counterpart Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) backed the pilot program concept while I was a member of their Agriculture Committee in the 112th Congress; and a bipartisan majority on the Committee included it in this year’s reauthorization of national farm policies, H.R. 1947.  That bill, however, was defeated on the House floor in June.  A working group, led by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, put together a new bill, H.R. 3102, and kept the NMI pilot program intact.  The Senate has already passed its “farm bill,” so H.R. 3102 should now go to a conference committee for resolution of differences between the House and Senate versions.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/190301-sexual-assault-and-domestic-violence-coalitions-program,"$190,301 for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program",2013-09-22,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$190,301 for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program                                           
              Sep 22, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Justice has announced $190,301 in grant funding to support the Northern Marianas Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program to assist in efforts to coordinate victim assistance and other violence against women services.  Congratulations to the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/216513-sex-offender-registry-services,"$216,513 for Sex Offender Registry services",2013-09-22,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$216,513 for Sex Offender Registry services                                           
              Sep 22, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Department of Justice has announced that the CNMI Department of Public Safety has received $216,513 for the Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program.  DPS will use grant funds to: (1) work closely with the Sex Offender Registry Administrative Board in refining the legislation, policies and procedures to ensure program compliance and effectiveness; (2) reinforce the partnership they have within by training on island; (3) procure three computer systems that will be assigned to task force members allowing them access information and the ability to update registrant information; (4) maintain the Administrative Specialist position; and (5) pay for the overtime costs of officers registering and monitoring sex offenders, collecting data, gathering information and providing system information updates.  Congratulations to DPS.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/566657-coral-reef-management-grant,"$566,657 for Coral Reef Management Grant",2013-09-21,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$566,657 for Coral Reef Management Grant                                           
              Sep 21, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded the CNMI Division of Environmental Quality $566,657 for the State and Territory Coral Reef Management Grant.  These funds provide ongoing support of coral reef coordination, education and outreach, student internships, watershed coordination, long-term coral reef monitoring, continued implementation of the Talakhaya Conservation Action Plan, and the ""Size Matters"" campaign for fishers.  The award is also supporting new initiatives such as the implementation of the Garapan Conservation Action Plan, storm drain and wetland improvements, and renewed support for coordination of Marine Protected Areas.  Congratulations to DEQ.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/869500-coastal-zone-management-program,"$869,500 for Coastal Zone Management Program",2013-09-21,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$869,500 for Coastal Zone Management Program                                           
              Sep 21, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded $869,500 to the CNMI Coastal Resources Management Office.  These funds will support jobs, and provide continued assistance to the CNMI coastal management program to address many important coastal issues including capacity development, Geographic Information Systems, climate change, ongoing coastal land use permitting enforcement, public outreach and education, and new initiatives such as scoping potential demonstration projects for coastal marine spatial planning in the Commonwealth.  This grant will also deliver ongoing funding that protects, restores, and responsibly develops our coastal resources by balancing economic development, coastal uses, and natural resource protection.  Congratulations to CRM.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/cjpa-receives-176341-doj-grants,"CJPA receives $176,341 in DOJ grants",2013-09-20,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"CJPA receives $176,341 in DOJ grants                                           
              Sep 20, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The CNMI Criminal Justice Planning Agency received $176,341 from the U.S. Department of Justice this week.  These grants will support and provide prevention programs and services for juvenile delinquency and sexual assault services.  Congratulations to CJPA.
 $21,060 for the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Program: The JABG program funds will be used to help continue funding efforts towards supporting the most critical areas in the Juvenile Justice System in the CNMI such as Juvenile Detention improvements, Juvenile Pre-Trial services, Interagency Information sharing, training and resources to officers, managing caseloads, and providing accurate data.
	$75,890 for the Title II Formula Grant Program: Title II Grant funds will assist in the improvement, compliance monitoring, and delinquency prevention programs in the CNMI juvenile justice systems.
	$59,639 for State and Community Development Division Invited Awards: The Juvenile Justice Task Force and the Department of Public Safety will work to ensure proper compliance and enforcement of this program both for public and private violators found contributing to underage drinking under the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program.
	$19,752 for Sexual Assault Services Program: The SASP Program will assist the CNMI rape crisis centers and other nonprofit organizations in the provision of direct intervention and related assistance.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/cjpa-receives-49518-state-justice-statistics-program,"CJPA receives $49,518 for the State Justice Statistics program",2013-09-18,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"CJPA receives $49,518 for the State Justice Statistics program                                           
              Sep 18, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Department of Justice has awarded the Commonwealth’s Criminal Justice Planning Agency (CJPA) $49,518 for the State Justice Statistics (SJS) program.  These funds will support the CNMI statistical Analysis Center (SAC) and will utilize SJS funds to support personnel costs for a Statistical Analyst who will be responsible for managing the administrative functions of the SJS grant and assisting the SAC Director in all phases of the planning and development of SAC projects.  The SAC's goal is to publish the CNMI Crime Report two times a year and publish the CNMI Criminal Justice Bulletin on a quarterly basis to provide a snapshot of crime trends occurring within the Territory.  Congratulations to CJPA.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/president-signs-nmi-submerged-lands-bill-law,President signs NMI submerged lands bill into law,2013-09-18,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"President Obama has signed into law S. 256, conveying to the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands the submerged lands surrounding the islands extending three geographical miles outward from the coastline and rescheduling minimum wage increases.  The bill becomes one of only 36 that have become law during the President’s second term of office.  By this time in his first term Congress had passed 181 bills that received the Presidential signature.
Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, who represents the Northern Mariana Islands, expressed his gratitude to the President:
I am very grateful to President Obama for signing S. 256 into law.  Legislation conveying submerged lands was the very first bill I introduced, as the Northern Mariana Islands first representative in Congress, in February 2009.  Now, after unanimous votes approving the submerged lands conveyance in the House of Representatives in 2009, 2011, and 2013, and a final unanimous consent agreement in the Senate earlier this year, the bill has finally become law.
The people of the Northern Mariana Islands have always believed that the lands and waters surrounding our islands, which for millennia our ancestors used and preserved, belonged to us.  A federal court ruling in 2005 said otherwise, requiring that the lands be conveyed by Congress.  Now that S. 256 has become law, the lands can become ours again.
I want also to say thank you, again, to Senators Ron Wyden and Lisa Murkowski, who introduced S. 256 in this Congress at my request.  Originating the bill in the Senate with bipartisan sponsorship, certainly helped to win Senate passage, which had always been the stumbling block for the bill.  I also appreciate the cooperation of House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings and his Democratic counterpart Ranking Member Peter DeFazio for helping find time this month on a very crowded legislative schedule to win the fourth and final unanimous vote in the House that sent the bill to the President for his action.
Northern Mariana Islands Representative Anthony T. Benavente (IR-Precinct 3), who is in Washington this week for a series of meetings with federal officials, congratulated Sablan on the legislative success.  “The return of these lands to CNMI ownership is truly an accomplishment,” Benavente said.  “I am very glad that I could be here with Congressman Sablan when he received the news from the White House.”  Benavente chairs the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, which will have responsibility for many of the decisions about the use and protection of the seabed that S. 256 allows to be now handed over to the island government.
In addition to the conveyance of the Northern Mariana Islands offshore lands, S. 256 also defers increases in the minimum wage in the Northern Marianas.  The minimum wage is now scheduled to reach the federal level in 2018.
Along with S. 256, the President signed into law today S. 130, conveying land to the Powell Recreation District in Wyoming; S. 157, authorizing certain energy projects in Alaska’s Denali National Park; S. 304, conveying 67 acres of Federal land to the State of Mississippi; and S. 459, modifying the boundary of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/264364-awarded-victim-assistance-program,"$264,364 awarded for the Victim Assistance program",2013-09-17,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$264,364 awarded for the Victim Assistance program                                           
              Sep 17, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Department of Justice has awarded the Commonwealth’s Criminal Justice Planning Agency (CJPA) $264,364 under the Victim Assistance Program.  The program funds will be used to provide services that include crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, criminal justice advocacy, emergency transportation, and to provide victims with a safe and secure environment in the Northern Marianas.  Congratulations to CJPA.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/rota-landholders-can-earn-500-and-help-protect-aga,Rota landholders can earn $500 and help protect the Aga,2013-09-16,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is again offering $500 to Rota landholders, who want to help protect the critically endangered Aga, or Mariana crow.  Land parcels that Aga inhabit for nesting or feeding are eligible for the payment.  In return, landholders agree not to remove vegetation from wooded areas or harass the birds, and must allow biologists onto the property for observation purposes.  Our Mariana Crow is now on the brink of extinction.  In 1982, there were an estimated 1,318 Aga.  Today, there are only 124.  That is why we protect the Aga under federal and Commonwealth law.  We know we have a responsibility to hand over the natural world to those who come after us, as it was passed on to us by our ancestors.  The Landowner Incentive Plan is a joint endeavor between the Service, the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, the Commonwealth Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Office of the Mayor of Rota, and the University of Washington Rota Avian Behavioral Ecology Program.  To get more information call Nick Songsong, Resident Director of DLNR at 532-9495, or Julia Boland, USFWS biologist at 285-9453.  For an application click here.  The deadline is November 1, 2013.
Rota lands marked in blue on the map above are eligible to participate in the Aga Incentive Plan. Landholders earn $500 by agreeing to let biologists monitor Aga, or Mariana Crow, nesting and feeding on the property. There are only 124 Aga remaining in the world.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/nmi-water-task-force-receives-1227962,"NMI Water Task Force receives $1,227,962",2013-09-13,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"NMI Water Task Force receives $1,227,962                                           
              Sep 13, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced today the award of $1,227,962 to the Northern Mariana Islands Water Task Force.  The money will be used for design and construction of new and upgraded water and sewer infrastructure in the Lower Base Industrial Park on Saipan.  Congratulations to the Water Task Force.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/238742-edward-byrne-memorial-justice-assistance-grant-awarded-cjpa,"$238,742 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant awarded to CJPA",2013-09-10,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$238,742 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant awarded to CJPA                                           
              Sep 10, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs has awarded $238,742 to the Commonwealth’s Criminal Justice Planning Agency.  CJPA will use the grant to support multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces, crime prevention, law enforcement, and domestic violence programs, and court, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives.  The Byrne grant focuses on addressing crime by providing services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice system.  Congratulations to CJPA.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/congressman-sablan-congratulates-ms-esther-kia%E2%80%99aina,Congressman Sablan congratulates Ms. Esther Kia’aina,2013-09-10,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan congratulated Ms. Esther Kia’aina on the announcement today that President Obama intends to nominate her to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas.
“Ms. Esther Kia'aina is someone I have known since my days working in Congress for Senator Daniel K. Inouye in the 1980s.  She is a person of proven ability, having served as chief of staff for two Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Robert Underwood of Guam and Ed Case of Hawai'i.  In addition to this considerable Washington experience, as a Native Hawaiian, Ms. Kia'aina is someone who understands the Pacific region and who is familiar with my district, the Northern Mariana Islands.
“This background and expertise make Ms. Kia’aina a solid choice to fill the position of Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas.  “I congratulate Ms. Kia’aina on the news that President Obama intends to nominate her and offer my support as we move through the Senate confirmation process.
“I also want to acknowledge the excellent job that Acting Assistant Secretary Eileen Sobeck has done over the last several months, though I look forward to having a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader representing island interests in the Department of the Interior.
“I thank the President for taking action to fill a position that is so important to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and to all the U.S. insular areas.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/territorial-sea-bill-passes-house-now-goes-president-signature,"Territorial sea bill passes House, now goes to President for signature",2013-09-10,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"A bill conveying ownership of the seabed around each of the Northern Mariana Islands to the Commonwealth government passed the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 415 - 0.  The Northern Marianas is the only U.S. coastal state or territory that does not have ownership of these offshore lands, which can be leased for economic activities and managed to preserve environmental resources.  S.256 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on August 1, so the bill now goes to the President for signature and enactment into law.
The bill also stretches out the timeline for increases in minimum wage in the Northern Marianas.  The annual 50¢ raise will be deferred this year and in 2015. The wage will still go up in 2014 and then in 2016 and every year after until reaching the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr in 2018. Congress previously authorized a deferment in 2011.
Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, who has seen his own territorial sea bills pass the House without dissent in the 111th and 112th Congresses and in the 113th Congress this May, managed S.256 for the Democrats during floor debate today.
“I am grateful to Chairman Ron Wyden and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who introduced S.256 at my request and navigated the bill through their committee and through Senate approval,” Sablan said.  Previously, the Senate has failed to act on House-passed bills, conveying submerged lands to the Marianas.
“I also want to thank the Republican and Democratic leadership, who found a space for S. 256 in the very crowded House agenda this week,” Sablan said.  “With only 9 legislative days in September and votes on authorization of force in Syria, a continuing resolution for fiscal 2014 spending, the debt ceiling, immigration, the farm bill reauthorization – all needing attention – I know there was intense competition for floor time.
“I very much appreciate the help of Chairman Doc Hastings and our new Ranking Member Peter DeFazio at the Natural Resources Committee and Chairman John Kline and Ranking Member George Miller at the Education and the Workforce Committee.  They all worked together once S.256 passed the Senate a month ago to make sure that we could quickly get a vote on the bill in the House.  Their assistance reflects a long-standing tradition of treating territorial issues as essentially nonpartisan.  And their cooperation certainly helped the Northern Mariana Islands today.”
S.256 gives the Northern Marianas control of the seabed three miles out from the coast of each of the Commonwealth’s islands – the same as most U.S. states and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.  The Northern Marianas is the only U.S. coastal jurisdiction without ownership of its offshore areas.
Regarding the rescheduling of minimum wage, Sablan called it one of the toughest decisions he has had to make in his five years in Congress.
“Minimum wage has gone up 82 percent since 2007.  That’s a very sharp increase.  Labor costs for businesses have risen 16.5 percent on average year after year, even when sales have gone down.
“I want to see more money in workers’ pockets,” Sablan said.  “But I have to be a realist, too.  Slowing down the wage increase was just a very difficult decision.”
New data on gross domestic product in the Northern Marianas compiled by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis is expected this year; and the Government Accountability Office has begun work on a report on the impact of minimum wage due out early next year.
“If new data and the GAO analysis show that our economy can afford a higher minimum wage,” Sablan added, “then there is certainly nothing to stop the Northern Mariana Islands legislature from raising the minimum wage in 2014.  The federal minimum is just that: a minimum.  Many states have a minimum wage that is significantly higher than the federal level.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/118000-awarded-dfw-fisheries-data-program,"$118,000 awarded to DFW fisheries data program",2013-09-09,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$118,000 awarded to DFW fisheries data program                                           
              Sep 9, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has granted $118,000 to the Commonwealth’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.  The Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network program provides the formula funds to collect data needed for fisheries management in the Mariana Islands.  DFW has been collecting commercial catch statistics in the Marianas since the mid-1970s.  Congratulations to DFW.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/27879-will-help-provide-public-health-services,"$27,879 will help provide public health services",2013-09-06,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$27,879 will help provide public health services                                           
              Sep 6, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion awarded $27,879 to the Department of Public Health in the Northern Mariana Islands this week. The competing continuation grant supports achievement of national Healthy People objectives, responds to emerging health threats, and provides emergency medical services and services for sex offense victims. Congratulations to the Department of Public Health.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/kilili-statement-syria,Kilili Statement on Syria,2013-09-04,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan released the following statement today regarding the upcoming debate in Congress about US military action in Syria:
Last Thursday, together with 60 other Members of Congress I wrote to President Obama condemning the apparent use of chemical weapons in Syria.  We also urged the President to seek the agreement of Congress before taking any military action.  I thank the President for heeding our call.
Next week, Congress returns to Washington and the Syria debate will be front and center.  The Northern Marianas will not have a vote in any resolution approving military action.  Yet our men and women in the military could be put in harm’s way by a decision to use force in Syria.
So I will be examining the intelligence carefully to be certain that we know chemical weapons have been used – and who used them.  There will continue to be classified briefings for Members of Congress from the National Security Agency and the White House that I will attend next week.
I will be looking closely at what alternative responses there may be, short of the U.S. taking unilateral action against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.  And I will be questioning what the outcome is likely to be if the U.S. does strike against Assad in retaliation for the chemical attack.
The Northern Mariana Islands has lost 18 fine young men and women during the wars of the last decade.  Before putting any more lives at risk, I want to know that we are certain of why we are acting and we have an endgame.  Most important of all, I want to be certain that we have looked at every alternative before the U.S. commits its military forces or limited financial resources.
We cannot stand by, while chemical weapons are being used in violation of international law.  But we cannot send Americans to war without clearly defined goals that make the risk worthwhile.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/cjpa-awarded-42918-rsat-program,"CJPA awarded $42,918 for RSAT program",2013-09-03,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"CJPA awarded $42,918 for RSAT program                                           
              Sep 3, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $42,918 to the CNMI Criminal Justice Planning Agency for the FY13 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Program.  The RSAT Program assists local governments in the development and implementation of substance abuse treatment programs in local correctional and detention facilities and to create and maintain community-based aftercare services for offenders.  CJPA will use the RSAT funds to implement up to three types of programs: residential, jail-based, and aftercare.  At least 10 percent of the total grant allocation will be made available to the CNMI Department of Corrections for either residential or jail-based substance abuse treatment programs.  Congratulations to CJPA and the Department of Corrections.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/deq-receives-63447-hazmat-grant,"DEQ receives $63,447 Hazmat grant",2013-09-02,2013,2013-09,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"DEQ receives $63,447 Hazmat grant                                           
              Sep 2, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration has awarded $63,447 to the Commonwealth’s Division of Environmental Quality.  The Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant will fund the development, implementation, and improvement of emergency plans and training of the Commonwealth's emergency responders to be prepared for an incident involving the transportation of hazardous materials.  The amount of the grant is based on a formula that accounts for demographics, local emergency response capabilities, and the degree of hazard of commodities regularly transported through the Northern Mariana Islands.  Congratulations to DEQ.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/cnmi-awarded-185-million-fema-preparedness-grants,CNMI awarded $1.85 million in FEMA preparedness grants,2013-08-26,2013,2013-08,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"CNMI awarded $1.85 million in FEMA preparedness grants                                           
              Aug 26, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the following grant allocations to the CNMI for FY 2013 state and local preparedness grant programs.  Under the State Homeland Security Program, the CNMI was awarded $790,712 to support the implementation of homeland security strategies to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events.  At least 25 percent of this award will go towards law enforcement terrorism prevention activities.  $863,367 in Emergency Management Performance Grants was also awarded to the CNMI for assistance in providing a system of emergency preparedness for the protection of life and property from hazards and to vest responsibility for emergency preparedness.  The Commonwealth Ports Authority also received $195,096 in Port Security Grant Program funding for transportation infrastructure security activities.  Congratulations to the CNMI Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and to the Commonwealth Ports Authority.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/140000-awarded-healthcare-corporation-early-childhood-community-based-integrated,"$140,000 awarded to the Healthcare Corporation for Early Childhood Community-Based Integrated Service Systems",2013-08-22,2013,2013-08,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"$140,000 awarded to the Healthcare Corporation for Early Childhood Community-Based Integrated Service Systems                                           
              Aug 22, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the award of $140,000 to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Division of Public Health.  This grant will support the Early Childhood: Community-Based Integrated Services which will help improve the physical, social, and emotional development of a child during infancy and early childhood; to eliminate disparities; and to increase access to needed early childhood services by engaging in systems development, integration activities and utilizing a collective impact approach to strengthen communities for families and young children and to improve the quality and availability of early childhood services.  Congratulations to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/marines-release-report-tinian-and-pagan-plans,Marines release report on Tinian and Pagan plans,2013-08-21,2013,2013-08,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Marines release report on Tinian and Pagan plans                                           
              Aug 21, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    The Marine Corps Forces Pacific has published comments received from government agencies and the public on the environmental impact of the U.S. military’s proposal to construct or upgrade training areas on Tinian and Pagan.  The proposed increase in training capabilities, which includes live-fire ranges on both islands and impacts air and sea space, as well, requires an environmental impact statement under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.  The comment period opened in March of this year and ended in May.  Public meetings were held on Tinian and Saipan in April.  The Scoping Summary Report is available on the project website https://www.cnmijointmilitarytrainingeis.com/announcements/15.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z
http://sablan.house.gov/press-release/global-entry-can-speed-immigration-korean-visitors,Global Entry can speed immigration for Korean visitors,2013-08-20,2013,2013-08,Independent,Senate,MP,Gregorio Sablan,S001177,sablan.house.gov,,,legacy,"Global Entry can speed immigration for Korean visitors                                           
              Aug 20, 2013      		        	    
      	            
                    
                                            
          
        
        
            
    
  
    
    
    U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has announced that citizens of the Republic of Korea are now eligible for the Global Entry program, which allows trusted travelers faster entry at 34 airports in the U.S., including Saipan International.  These pre-approved, low-risk travelers bypass traditional CBP screening and use an automated kiosk instead.  Citizens of Korea who participate in their own country’s Smart Entry System may apply for the Global Entry benefit.  There is an online application, a $100 fee, and an in-person interview required, usually at a CBP enrollment center.  The Northern Marianas does not yet have an enrollment center, although CBP does hold mobile enrollment events and plans one for Seoul in the near future.  Hospitality is essential to a successful tourist economy.  Everything that makes our guests feel welcome from the moment they arrive or that makes travel easier for the Korean business people, who manage and invest in the tourism industry, is helpful to us all.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z