The five members of Congress, led by David Price, D-N.C., are part of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, which offers advice and guidance to emerging democratic legislatures around the world.
“The Price [delegation] has been to Mongolia, Indonesia, and East Timor during the congressional break last week,” Sablan said.
“Chairman Price invited me to go with him on the trip. But I said no, because I have so few opportunities to be here in the commonwealth, meeting with constituents. And I never miss the Liberation Day parade.
“However, I invited the chairman and the other members to stop here on Saipan on the return trip to Washington and meet with me while their plane refueled.
“That was the plan until about two weeks ago, when the flight crew on the military aircraft carrying the [delegation], did their final calculations. It turned out that because of the headwinds this time of year and because of the rules regarding crew rest periods, it was necessary to spend the night on Saipan as well as refuel here. That’s even better.”
Sablan had arranged for the five visiting congressmen and their spouses to tour some of the historic sites on Saipan on Sunday morning, before their plane departed for its next stop in Hawaii.
“I’ve also asked Chairman Price to have breakfast with [Saipan] Chamber of Commerce president Jim Arenovski and DFS Executive Marian Aldan-Pierce,” said Sablan.
Price chairs the appropriations committee that oversees the Department of Homeland Security.
“So, he is the ideal person for our local business leaders to talk to about the transition to federal control of immigration — and especially the visa waiver issue,” Sablan said.
“I am very pleased to have been able to arrange this important meeting. And I’m sure that Jim and Marian are the ideal people to explain the visa waiver program — and the importance of continuing to have Russian and Chinese tourists,” he added.
In addition to the five members of Congress and their spouses there were eight professional staff of the Congressional Research Service and the House Democracy Assistance Commission, or HDAC, with the delegation.
Sablan has himself participated in one of the HDAC missions.
In May he traveled to Haiti to discuss legislative procedure and the need for a strong institutionalized support staff with members of the parliament.
“Since I cannot go back to my district for the weekend as most congressmen do, I look for other opportunities to learn and to build relationships with other Members of Congress,” Sablan said.
“In fact, Representative Price, who is the chairman of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, told me that his decision to stop over today in Saipan was because of my participation in the work in Haiti,” Sablan added.
