News Releases

Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate
Washington, DC

Aug. 2, 2017

The U.S. Senate approved by unanimous consent U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan’s bill making more CW foreign worker permits available for fiscal year 2017. H.R. 339 also puts more money into the fund for training U.S. workers for jobs in the Marianas economy. And the measure bars future use of CW permits for temporary construction workers. The recent surge of construction workers, using CW permits, forced hospital nurses to leave the Marianas and many local businesses to lose their long-time foreign workers.

Sablan’s legislation was amended in the Senate, and so now returns to the House for final approval before going to the president for signature. The bill previously passed the House without dissent. As amended, the bill sets aside at least 60 new permits for healthcare workers to address the needs of the commonwealth hospital and private medical clinics. Another 10...

Acting Interior assistant secretary for Insular Areas Nikolao Pula has made available $635,885 for natural and cultural resource protection for all U.S. island jurisdictions in the Micronesia region. “It is reassuring to see the range of initiatives we have been able to support with this funding, from managing fisheries that support people’s livelihoods to suppressing the impacts of the damaging coconut rhinoceros beetle and little fire ant,” said Pula. “We are happy to support and bolster the collaborative efforts of conservation-minded leaders across the Micronesia region.”

U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan announced that the commonwealth is receiving $4,518,008 more in federal funds as part of the Typhoon Soudelor recovery effort. The money will be used to install 12 generators to provide emergency back-up power to 91 wells and keep water service available to all villages on Saipan after a storm.

The Yap cultural delegation headed by Tony Ganngiyan, governor of the state, gave its first performance on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Zhongshan Youth Palace as part of the Zhongshan and Yap Cultural Exchange. The theme of the two-hour long cultural exchange was “Join Hands For A Brighter Tomorrow,” offering live cultural displays and performances by both sides. Zhongshan performers included singers, dancers, kungfu fighters and musicians. The Yap delegation did a local attire display for men showing the various thuw ensembles from boyhood to manhood. Likewise, the girls displayed the women’s traditional grass skirt attire from girlhood to womanhood.