“I’m really hopeful and working very hard to get it passed by the House this year,” he said.
H.R. 1466 is for nonresidents married to U.S. citizens; those born in the NMI from Jan. 1, 1974 to Jan. 9, 1979; those given permanent residency by the NMI government; and those who became relatives of a U.S. citizen as of May 8, 2008 notwithstanding the U.S. citizen’s age.
Some of these people are unemployed and will be out of status after Nov. 27, when their umbrella permits expire.
This is why he brought this issue with the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, Sablan said, adding that he also had a face to face conversation with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas.
Asked if DHS will allow the beneficiaries of H.R. 1466 to stay in the CNMI even if the measure is not enacted by Nov. 27, Sablan said: “If they do that then they’ll announce it.”
He said the bill’s passage “requires work.”
“It requires meetings with members of Congress and they are looking into it and I’m hopeful, very hopeful,” Sablan added.
The Senate, which is dominated by his colleagues in the national Democratic Party, has its “unique way of processing [legislation] but Sablan said, “what I need to do is get it passed in the House and then work on the Senate.”
Sometimes, he said, the Senate would consider a bill passed by the House then move on it quickly, but sometimes, it takes a while.
Sablan said he is also working hard on other CNMI measures involving food stamps, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program “and many other things that will help the people in the commonwealth who need help the most.”
