releases: https://sablan.house.gov/week-congress-october-30-2020
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://sablan.house.gov/week-congress-october-30-2020 | THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS - October 30, 2020 | 2020-11-02 | 2020 | 2020-11 | Democrat | Senate | MP | Gregorio Sablan | S001177 | sablan.house.gov | legacy | In this issue: Voting: a proud tradition Vets therapy bill now law Bill will keep educators paid Opposing foreign student limits Rota Resource Study comments open Medicare enrollment open Military academy nominations open Kilili Time Capsule Opportunities Legislative highlights ________________________________________________________________ Vets therapy bill now law With suicide rates on the rise, the Veterans Administration must do a better job in providing veterans with the care and tools needed to get on the path to recovery, including alternative therapies like meditation. This is the goal of H.R. 2359, the Whole Veteran Act, which the President signed into law on Friday. The bill includes my amendment requiring a VA plan to provide its Whole Health program in the Marianas with services such as massage, acupuncture, healing touch, guided imagery, and yoga, among other holistic treatments. Bill will keep educators paid The coronavirus crisis left over 700 Marianas school staff without pay earlier this year, until Congress stepped in with $27,940,945 from the CARES Act to fund their salaries. But the Marianas Public School System and schools around the country will continue to face budget shortfalls, as long as the coronavirus remains unchecked. So, this week in my capacity as Chair of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I introduced the Save Education Jobs Act, along with my colleagues Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) and Education Committee Chairman Robert C. Bobby Scott (D-VA). H.R. 8691 provides long-term support for teachers and school staff through a 10-year Education Jobs Fund, delivering an estimated minimum for the Marianas of $50 million in fiscal year 2021. Without this support from the federal government during the pandemic and the recovery, up to 1.9 million education jobs could be lost nationwide; and our children will lose inestimable hours of learning that may never be fully recovered. Opposing foreign student limits Foreign students at Northern Marianas College are made possible by the F visa program. But the Department of Homeland Security is now proposing to make that visa harder to obtain. That is why on Monday I joined House Judiciary Committee leaders in opposing the Department's proposed rule. Changes include a two or four-year maximum stay for the F visa, depending on whether the applicant is from a country that is on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list or has a student and exchange visitor overstay rate greater than 10 percent. F-1 students in language training programs are restricted to a lifetime aggregate of 24 months and their grace period for departure is reduced to 30 days. Foreign students are an important source of revenue for NMC and for the businesses that provide student housing and other services. And the visiting families of foreign students contribute to the Marianas tourism economy. The Trump administration proposed tightening of visa rules also applies to the J visa for exchange visitors and the I visa for persons in the media. Medicare Open Enrollment Open enrollment for Medicare begins on October 15 and will remain open through December 7. 2021 plans are now available on the Medicare Plan Finder just in time to help beneficiaries review coverage options that will best fit their health needs. Beneficiaries that do not wish to change their current Medicare coverage plan do not need to re-enroll. Information on coverage options can also be provided by phone at 1-800-MEDICARE. OPPORTUNITIES Grants A note to those receiving or applying for federal grants during the coronavirus crisis: The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may extend for up to 12 months certain grants set to expire between March 31 and December 31, 2020. OMB is also providing some deadline flexibility for grant applications. Check out these links for OMB's March 9 and March 17 memo on these extensions. Public Comments Prevailing wage changes Changes in VA system of records Assistive Technology Program data Data for federal-aid highway projects Inquiry and Case Management System changes DoJ Immigration rule change Fishery data Grant report extension request Data for Marianas commercial fishing LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS THISWEEK The House is in recess for the District Work Period. NEXTWEEK The House is in recess for the District Work Period. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |