In a letter to Rep. James L. Oberstar, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Sablan called the program “an exciting opportunity for students at minority-serving institutions.”
But, he pointed out, colleges serving Asian-American and Pacific Islanders are not included in the definition of “minority-serving institutions.”
The new program is part of the Coast Guard Authorization Act, H.R. 3619 and allows students from minority-serving institutions to intern with the Coast Guard.
“I think this will be a wonderful program, and I look forward to seeing it modified so that students from the NMI can participate, whether they attend a local school like Northern Marianas College, or another minority-serving institution further away from home,” Sablan said.
H.R. 3619 has been reported by Oberstar’s committee, but has not yet been taken to the full House for debate.
“I’m confident that it will be easy to remedy when the final bill comes to the floor,” Sablan said in his letter.
