Inos, who has also refused to rejoin the Republican Party as “requested” by the governor, noted the “interest” in Kilili’s bill among U.S. House members.
He said the bill still has to be passed by the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate and there may be amendments.
But the fact that it has been reported out of the subcommittee “is a sign that there is some support from certain members,” Inos added.
“So I think that we need to take a look at it.”
During the subcommittee hearing, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial expressed “strong opposition” to granting CNMI-only status to nonresidents with U.S. citizen children.
According to Sablan, his bill aims to “keep families together, and keep Americans in America.”
He added, “To qualify under H.R. 1466 individuals must still be in lawful status and in full compliance with the standards of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
His bill “provides no new social benefits and adds no new societal costs. In fact, by stabilizing the population and the workforce, H.R. 1466 will have a positive economic effect.”
The CNMI House of Representatives which Fitial expected to back his position, withdrew the resolution opposing Sablan’s bill while the CNMI Senate expressed its support for H.R. 1466.
