releases: http://sablan.house.gov/week-congress-january-27-2017
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://sablan.house.gov/week-congress-january-27-2017 | THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS - January 27, 2017 | 2017-01-29 | 2017 | 2017-01 | Independent | House | MP | Gregorio Sablan | S001177 | sablan.house.gov | legacy | In this issue: _________________________________________________________________________________________ CW cap increase goes to vote. My bill adding another 2,002 CW worker permits for this fiscal year goes to the House floor for a vote on Monday. This is the same bill that passed the House in December, then died when the Senate adjourned four days later. I am grateful to the Republican and Democratic leadership in the House who are giving my effort a second chance. Hopefully, with more time the bill, H.R. 339, can pass the Senate and get to the President for signature. The increase is as important as ever. More and more businesses will find themselves unable to renew their CW—Commonwealth-only Transitional Worker—permits over the coming months. The cap of 12,998 permits for fiscal 2017 was reached in mid-October. So employers of foreign workers have been blocked from applying for new permits or submitting renewals for any existing permits expiring after mid-April. Veterans Resource Fair set for February. Veterans, their family members, advocates, and service providers are invited to attend the first Northern Marianas Veterans Resource Fair on: Saipan – Wednesday, February 22, 1pm-7pm at the Multipurpose Center – at the Multipurpose Center Tinian – Thursday, February 23, 10am-4pm at the NMC Instructional Site – at the NMC Instructional Site Rota – Friday, February 24, 10am-4pm at Rota Resort Hosted by your congressional office, the Veterans Resource Fair will highlight the array of services available to veterans and their families in the Northern Marianas—from health and wellness to employment, education, legal advocacy, social support, and more. The Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, VA Choice providers, and various local government, nonprofit, and private institutions will be exhibiting and sharing information about their programs. For more information, contact your congressional office at (670) 323-2647 or email kilili@mail.house.gov. Exempt the VA from President's hiring freeze. In response to President Trump’s executive order this week, freezing federal hiring, 95 of us in Congress have asked that he exempt the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA faces a chronic shortage of medical personnel, as veterans in the Northern Mariana Islands know first-hand. And a hiring freeze will not help. Marianas veterans have trouble accessing health care and earned benefits, including long wait times for adjudication of disability claims. The executive order blocks the VA from filling medical and support staff positions, which could result in even longer waits. Additionally, the hiring ban is expected to slow down disability claims processing and applications for education and survivor benefits, vocational rehabilitation and job training services. Vets deserve better. Natural Resources Dems organize. House Natural Resources Committee Democrats chose our assignments for the 115th Congress Tuesday. My seniority keeps me on the subcommittees responsible for insular affairs and for oceans issues, where I can do the most for the people of the Marianas. As in the 114th Congress, I will take the lead role as Ranking Member whenever issues concerning U.S. insular areas or the Freely Associated States come before the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs. This allows me to influence the Subcommittee agenda, as I did in the last Congress by getting hearings on renewal of Palau’s Compact of Free Association and on Marianas immigration and labor, and to select witnesses, as I did by having Governor Ralph Torres and Mr. Alex Sablan testify. I will be serving on the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans, too, with jurisdiction over my shark fin trade ban, coral reefs, and other fisheries policy. Education Committee plans agenda. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, on which I sit, mapped out our work for the 115th Congress this week. Student financial aid, higher education, the Affordable Care Act, and Trump administration conflicts of interest are among the areas that the full Committee, Republicans and Democrats, agreed to focus on. The Committee also adopted its rules of procedure. Committee Democrats will choose their subcommittee assignments and ranking members next Tuesday. Federal Opportunities for/in the Marianas: Grants: Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program WebNEERS – The purpose of the EFNEP-WebNEERS cooperative agreement is to fund the maintenance of security and ease of use of the current Web-based NEERS, improve functionality and further develop the WebNEERS to align with advances in program direction. Closing date is February 28, 2017 . For more information, go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=291046. Jobs : Club Operations Assistant – The Commander, Navy Installations has an opening for a Club Operations Assistant in Guam. Incumbent will monitor operations of a club or assigned area, maintains and enforces security for funds, merchandise, supplies, equipment and property in accordance with directives and regulations. Position is open until January 30, 2017 . For more information, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/463245300/. The Commander, Navy Installations has an opening for a Club Operations Assistant in Guam. Incumbent will monitor operations of a club or assigned area, maintains and enforces security for funds, merchandise, supplies, equipment and property in accordance with directives and regulations. Position is open until . For more information, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/463245300/. Medical Technologist – The Naval Medical Command has an opening for a Medical Technologist in Guam. Incumbent will perform routine diagnostic testing, evaluate and monitor performance of routine and specialized test procedures, and provide technical guidance to medical laboratory technicians among other duties. Position is open until February 7, 2017 . For more information, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/462878600/. Highlgiths in the Legislative Program THIS WEEK | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |