releases: https://sablan.house.gov/regarding-hr-339-northern-marianas-economic-expansion-act
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://sablan.house.gov/regarding-hr-339-northern-marianas-economic-expansion-act | Regarding HR 339, the Northern Marianas Economic Expansion Act | 2017-12-23 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MP | Gregorio Sablan | S001177 | sablan.house.gov | legacy | Marianas Variety (Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Sablan issued the following statement Thursday in response to media inquiries this week: Greetings, Thank you for your requests for a response to recent statements made this week by Governor Torres, that he did not support H.R. 339, the Northern Marianas Economic Expansion Act, which President Trump signed in August, and that some workers are being denied CW permits because USCIS is now misclassifying them as new construction workers. The Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corporation, the lobbying arm of the Governors Strategic Economic Development Council, has issued similar statements. First, here is what the Governor testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a hearing on H.R. 339 on April 27, 2017: Two years ago, I requested that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services review the issuance of CW permits to individuals in the construction trades. In my view, CW permits were only for job categories not available under existing visa classifications, and that construction workers could be sourced through H2-B visas. As we look back at the CW permits issued in the last two years, it is evident that a large majority of the new permits that have led to the shortage have been in the construction trades. Removing construction workers from the eligible job categories for the CW permit will force employers to go to better suited visa classifications and alleviate the limited CW permits for occupations that are crucial for the overall economy and the needs of the people. The Governor supported passage of H.R. 339 at that time and without reservation. The only subsequent change in the bill before it became law was to set the number of extra CW permits for FY17 at 350 and to set aside some of those for health workers, a need the Governor highlighted, and for power plant operators. H.R. 339s bar on the use of CW permits for new construction workers never changed from the introduction of the bill to the day President Trump signed it into law. Moreover, that same language is reflected in draft legislation that NMBA began circulating in June this year. And, as the Governor points out in his testimony, he had requested that USCIS look at the issuance of CW permits for construction workers two years ago, because construction workers could be sourced through H2-B visas. For the record, I believe he was absolutely correct in advocating then for employers of construction workers to use H-2B visas and not the limited CW permits that so many of our other local businesses rely on. I will also note that the Governor was publicly urging construction companies to switch to H-2B visas even before the Senate hearing (see, for example: http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/84385-torres-pursue-h-visas-and-preserve-cw-permits-for-critical-positions). So he has been consistent on this position, until now. And while it is certainly the Governors prerogative to change his mind, I will note that the Members of Congress to whom the Governor testified under oath in support of this law are the same Members of Congress that I am working with now to make sure we have enough workers in our economy. We need their help. And if these Members of Congress believe that the word of the Governor of the Marianas cannot be trusted, they may be much less willing to listen to what he says the Marianas needs. Second, I strongly encourage any employer who believes that their employees have been erroneously classified as new construction workers to come to the congressional office for assistance. Under the law, the bar on new construction workers in the CW program explicitly applies to positions that fall under the U.S. Department of Labors Standard Occupational Classification Group 47-0000. Maintenance, repair, utility worker, and many other positions are in entirely different occupational categories and should not be barred from the CW program. Bringing specific cases of misclassification forward is important because it is difficult for the congressional office, or USCIS for that matter, to address anecdotal complaints, especially since USCIS adjudicates all CW petitions on a case-by-case basis. In fact, the congressional office has already been working with USCIS to review three cases of possible misclassification. In two of these cases, the misclassification was corrected and the CW petitions were approved. A decision is pending in the third case. Like the Governor and many others, my heart goes out to the workers and employers who have been part of our community for years and helped build our economy. I have worked hard to help them, and I am continuing to do so. We are making good progress in the bipartisan, bicameral working group in Congress to craft long-term legislation to ensure that we have enough labor in the Marianas beyond 2019, and that we continue to build and grow our U.S. workforce. Partisan politics aside, I will continue to work with the Governor, the people we represent, and my colleagues in Congress on these labor policy issues that are so critical to us all in the Marianas. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |