Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, 12 years ago, Congress enacted legislation extending U.S. immigration law to my district, the Northern Mariana Islands; and for my 11 years here in Congress, I have worked to make the resulting transition as least difficult as possible.

Because there were unforeseen consequences, there were people who fell through the cracks. Today we have the chance to help some of those people. Their circumstances were not taken into account when Federal immigration was extended to our islands.

During the Obama administration, they were granted humanitarian parole that allowed them to stay. But President Trump decided that was an improper use of parole.

The President's executive order of January 25, 2017, directed that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis not to categories of people, as had been done in the Marianas.

As a result, 1,039 long-term residents of my island lost their parole status last December. They were given until June 29 to adjust status or leave.

I have no argument with the President's thinking. In fact, I have worked to provide permanent status in law for these long-term residents. But immigration legislation is difficult. I have not been successful.

I hope today that will change because even though the Trump administration ended parole, at the same time, the administration also recognized that these long-term residents should be allowed to stay in the Marianas. The administration drafted legislation giving these

people permanent status in the Marianas, and just in the Marianas, so they could continue to live and work as they have for years as part of our community.

I introduced that legislation, H.R. 559, and the administration submitted a statement for the hearing record to the Natural Resources Committee supporting passage, which I include in the Record.

U.S. Department of

Homeland Security,

Washington, DC, February 21, 2019.

Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Grijalva: This letter sets forth

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) views with regard to

H.R. 559, the ``Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal

Residents Relief Act.''

Thank you for seeking the Department's input on this new

legislation. We appreciate the opportunity to review H.R. 559

as the Committee begins the legislative process in the 1st

session of the 116th Congress.

As you are aware, H.R. 559 would provide for the admission

of certain aliens who are currently present in the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and who

had been parolees as CNMI residents. In doing so, the bill

would establish an alternative regime to the now-terminated

categorical parole program for the CNMI. DHS believes that

the bill would address the discrete needs of this alien group

in an equitable and lawful manner--more so than any other

bill that is now pending Congressional consideration.

In light of the aforementioned, DHS supports H.R. 559. DHS

would respectfully urge the Committee to consider the bill

favorably. Further, it is the Department's hope that the full

House of Representatives will take up and pass the measure

expeditiously.

The Department is pleased to inform you that the Office of

Management and Budget has no objection to the presentation of

this letter to Congress. Nonetheless, I appreciate your

interest in the Administration's concerns on this matter.

Fortunately, there are none.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to review and share

the Department's position on H.R. 559. An identical letter

has been sent to Representatives Sablan and Bishop.

Respectfully,

Christine M. Ciccone,

Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, let me read from the administration's letter. ``H.R. 559 would provide for the admission of certain aliens who are currently present in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CNMI, and who had been parolees. . . . In doing so, the bill would establish an alternative regime to the now-terminated categorical parole program for the CNMI. DHS believes that the bill would address the discrete needs of this alien group in an equitable and lawful manner. . . . It is the Department's hope that the full House of Representatives will take up and pass the measure expeditiously.'' Signed: Christine M. Ciccone, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Department of Homeland Security.

To be completely transparent, the bill before us has been altered slightly from the original. The bill now includes an administrative appeal procedure if an applicant believes an error was made in processing their petition for permanent status. But that new language was also drafted, at my request, by the administration. So the bill remains 100 percent as drafted by the administration.

Again, the bill provides permanent status in the Marianas only, with no right of entry to any other part of the United States and no right to any public assistance, to a small group of people who have lived and worked in the Marianas, always lawfully present, since before U.S. immigration law was ever extended to our islands.

The Trump administration agrees. These individuals should be allowed to stay, but not by administrative fiat. They should be allowed to stay under the rule of law.

Today, I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass that law. Do as the administration advises. Vote ``yes'' on H.R. 559.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the GI Bill Access to Career Credentials Act, which would allow Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance to cover the cost of approved preparatory courses for professional license and certification exams. By covering these courses under the GI Bill, veterans and their eligible family members will have better access to the support they need to enter in-demand careers in health care, teaching, technology and other fields that may require government licenses and certifications. To ensure quality and accountability, courses eligible for reimbursement must be approved beforehand by their State Approving Agency based on current requirements in law.

For the past 75 years, the VA estimates the GI Bill has helped more than 25 million veterans and their families nationwide including the Marianas achieve their educational and career goals. During this time, Congress expanded the GI Bill to cover non-tuition expenses such as college admissions test fees, admissions test preparatory courses and exam fees for licenses and certifications. While the more than 5,700 GI Bill students across the country over the last year and half used their license and certification exam fees reimbursement benefit according to the VA, courses designed to help them pass these tests, such as a $400 nurse licensing exam course offered by Northern Marianas College, are not reimbursable. Not all students pass these exams on their first attempt which is why the GI Bill must be updated so VA educational assistance covers both preparatory courses and reimbursement of test fees for licenses and certifications.

Around 20 to 30 percent of graduating seniors each year enter the military according to the Marianas Public School System. When these future veterans transition to civilian life, the GI Bill benefits they earned should help prepare them to succeed in an economy increasingly reliant on technical skills which often requires paying for various tests, professional licenses, and other credentials. The gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Banks, is an original cosponsor of the bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which will help veterans and their eligible family members access the necessary credentials to make their educational and career dreams a reality.

Madam Speaker, today I am introducing a bill that would require the United States Census Bureau to conduct a census every five years in the U.S. insular areas of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This legislation is necessary because the priority, availability, timeliness, and types of data collected by federal agencies in the insular areas remains deficient compared to data collection in the states. Without accurate and timely information on changes in the economy, employment, income levels, and other key indicators, insular governments are hindered in the establishment of appropriate policy. And without these data, governments and the public are less able to assess the effectiveness of policies that have been established.

Every decade, the Census Bureau conducts a census throughout the country to determine the number of people living in the country. In the insular areas, detailed demographic, housing, and socioeconomic data is also collected in the decennial census using a ``long-form'' questionnaire consisting of about 75 questions. The decennial census conducted in the states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico only asks 10 questions because the vital information gathered in the decennial census is now acquired annually in the American Community Survey.

The American Community Survey does not include data from the insular areas. The Census Bureau has claimed that a lack of funding to collect the data and the absence of a proven methodology tested in the territories leaves the Bureau unable to include our districts and the hundreds of thousands of Americans living there. As a result, the insular areas have to wait every 10 years for critical, up-to date information on education, income, housing, jobs, and insurance that surveys like the American Community Survey provide. This data is vital to sustain economic development and for prudent government and business decisions. The decennial census is inadequate to this need. The allocation of federal funding for numerous programs is also largely based on the most recent census data available. With no alternative, most current funding allocations to the insular areas are based on data from the previous decennial census. 2010 Census data will continue to be used for many federal program funding allocations until 2023--the earliest key 2020 Census demographic data for the insular areas will likely be available.

As an alternative to annual surveys, my bill would require the Census Bureau to conduct a mid-decade census in the insular areas. The bill starts the first mid-decade census in 2025 and in addition to the decennial census, a census will be conducted every five years. This will provide more current data in the insular areas, similar to that provided by five-year estimates produced by the American Community Survey. Having a mid-decade census will also enable insular governments and the Census Bureau to plan and conduct data collection efforts that are often logistically challenging in these diverse, remote regions. My bill also authorizes appropriations for the mid-decade census, based on costs estimates provided by the Census Bureau to conduct the 2020 decennial census in U.S. insular areas. I ask my colleagues for their support.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, Congress will depend on the expertise of Federal agencies to tell us how much funding is needed by communities recovering from disaster.

That was the case when the House passed H.R. 268 on January 16. We set aside $10.4 million in that bill for water and sewer recovery for areas impacted by Super Typhoon Yutu, and we relied on the Environmental Protection Agency to verify that amount.

But, as happens in recovery situations, preliminarily estimates were not completely accurate. When debris is removed, unseen damage is revealed.

In March, after the House passed H.R. 268, EPA revised its estimate of the cost for repairing sewer systems in the Marianas. But H.R. 2157, the bill now under consideration, has not taken that new March estimate from EPA into account. H.R. 2157 simply repeats what was in H.R. 268, the January bill.

The amendment I am offering instead relies on EPA's new, updated assessment of the true need.

Madam Chair, I include in the Record EPA's estimate.

EPA-Related Projects To Support Typhoon Yutu Recovery in CNMI Community Planning and Capacity Building, Infrastructure Systems, and Natural and

Cultural Resources, March 20, 2019

Smart, Safe Growth. Implement next phase of the ongoing

FEMA-funded, EPA-managed Smart, Safe Growth project which has

helped the CNMI identify policies and practices to encourage

sustainable growth and long-term resiliency. Using

contractors and direct assistance, help the CNMI government

analyze and implement recent International Building Codes and

incorporate smart safe growth practices into local permit

decisions and longterm planning. Cost: $1.5M

Treatment for PFAS-contaminated well. Provide Granular

Activated Carbon (GAC) treatment for 6 drinking water wells

contaminated by PFAS (associated with fire retardant).

Benefit: would add about one-half million gallons per day

(0.5 MGD) to Saipan's water supply; would significantly

improve the ability to recover drinking water availability

and safety in another disaster. Cost: $2.5M

New Dandan 1.0 MG water tank. Install a new 1.0 MG tank

next to the existing 0.5 MG Dandan water tank to enhance

water delivery during a disaster and meet projected long-term

system demand. Cost: $4.0M

Waterline and service line replacement. Replace

deteriorating waterlines (Texas Rd to Oleai, San Antonio/

Afetnas, and San Roque distribution systems), and

deteriorating service lines to homes and businesses (San

Roque, Tanapag service areas). Benefit: would significantly

reduce leaks and improve drinking water system integrity;

would improve drinking water resiliency during a disaster.

Cost: $7.5M

New Kagman Reservoir. Start construction of USDA NRCS-

proposed 75 MG Water reservoir, delayed 25 years due to lack

of funding. Benefit: would eliminate agriculture use of CUC

drinking water for farming, increase drinking water supply by

30 percent, reduce drinking water salinity, and improve

drinking water quality. Cost: $8M

SCADA (water and sewer). Expand Supervisory Control and

Data Acquisition (SCADA), an electronic network control

system, from the current pilot (serving one water tank

system) to a utility-wide system for drinking water and

wastewater. Benefit: would improve water monitoring, water

production, water billing, water distribution management, and

wastewater conveyance and treatment management; would

decrease water loss, waste, and energy consumption; and

facilitate better strategic planning and decisions. Cost:

$5.0M

Agingan Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades. Numerous

upgrades are necessary for the WWTP to meet EPA permit

conditions. As a result of previous deficiencies and damage

inflicted by Typhoon Yutu, about 1 MGD of barely-treated

sewage effluent is discharged to the ocean on an ongoing

basis. Upgrades needed include: aerator replacement, VFD

drive installation, sludge dewatering screw press, headworks

rehab, electrical rehab, corroded pipe support replacement,

and hydrogen sulfide controls. Benefits: provide adequate

wastewater treatment to protect human health and the

environment. Cost: $2.4M

Sadog Tasi Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades. Situation

is similar to Agingan

WWTP with even additional needed upgrades, including

clarifier retrofit and improvements to sludge digester. Cost:

$3.2M

Lift Station upgrades. Lift stations need new pumps, piping

and valves, VFD controls, generator overhaul, and wetwell

aeration to improve compliance, as well as gates, fencing,

and lighting to improve security. Backup generators damaged

by flooding and high winds also need improvements. Benefit:

would reduce sewage spills and overflows on land and

nearshore, both following a disaster and on a long-term

basis. Cost: $8.4M

Lower Base and Beach Road Sewer system replacement. Replace

the deteriorating old (pre-Trust Territories era) sewage

collection system in Lower Base (Saipan's main industrial

area), including installation of one new lift station Along

Beach Road, replace deteriorating old sewage lines as CNMI

DPW makes roadway improvements. (Note the Beach Road project

cost includes only Phase I at $2.5M; the entire project would

cost $12M.) Cost: $7.0M

Marpi Landfill improvements. Debris from Typhoon Yutu and

other recent typhoons are enough to ``fill half a Rose

Bowl.'' Much of the debris is lying on open ground next to

the existing Marpi Landfill, exacerbating an already non-

compliant situation. The landfill's Cell #1 is already

overcapacity. Cell #2 has been constructed but requires

repairs and additional enhancements before it is RCRA-

compliant and can accept waste. Cell #3 is designed but

requires construction in order to accommodate typhoon debris

as well as Saipan's regular municipal waste. Cost: $32M ($12M

for Cell #2 repairs + $20M for Cell #3 construction)

Tinian landfill construction. No landfill currently exists

on Tinian. A new landfill is needed to accommodate typhoon

debris as well as municipal waste. Cost: $12M

Rota landfill construction. No landfill currently exists on

Rota. A new landfill is needed to accommodate typhoon debris

as well as municipal waste. Cost $12M

Provide a Sustainability Advisor for recovery operations.

This position will advise the FEMA Interagency Recovery

Coordination team, Recovery Support Functions (RSFs),

Federal, territorial and local officials on sustainable

communities, climate change adaptation and low-impact growth,

materials and products for recovery planners in the

adaptation of sustainable, green, and resilient principles

and practices.

Access to EPA's Recovery/Sustainability HQ blanket purchase

agreement (BPA) capacity that can provide expect subject

matter assistance. This blanket purchase agreement is focused

on technical assistance related to assessing policy barriers

and facilitating planning workshops which covers a range of

topics related to community revitalization. The core subject

matter of the assistance will center upon community

revitalization, but the expertise required includes topics

such as:

Strategies for encouraging redevelopment in distressed

neighborhoods

Resiliency/hazard mitigation/sustainable long-term recovery

Green infrastructure and complete streets

Equitable development

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and scenario planning

tools

Community wealth building strategies in collaboration with

anchor institutions,

Economic diversification through place-based local food

system expansion,

Improving human health through healthy community design

Broadband internet as a catalyst for workforce and small

business development

Revitalization strategies based on recreational assets

Public engagement, including with hard-to-reach or

environmentally overburdened populations.

Air Quality & Energy. Provide staff expertise on energy

efficiency (including EnergySTAR resources), renewable

energy, and electric vehicle readiness to assist with

rebuilding efforts.

Drinking Water Systems. Develop and increase the capacity

and resiliency of public water systems by supporting capacity

development and operator certification programs.

Brownfields and Land Revitalization. Help the CNMI identify

brownfields that support long-term sustainability planning

efforts and can be redeveloped for a higher public use.

Ensure brownfields redevelopment and land revitalization are

included as priorities in local planning efforts; advance the

reuse of sites perceived as being contaminated post- and pre-

typhoon.

EPA reports that funds will be needed to upgrade the Agingan and Sadog Tasi wastewater treatment plants ``as a result of damage inflicted by Typhoon Yutu,'' and for lift stations and backup generators that were ``damaged by flooding and high winds.'' EPA says these projects cost $14 million.

My amendment takes into account funding already in the base bill, however, and asks only for an increase of $8.8 million. Again, this requested increase is based on EPA's estimates only available after passage of H.R. 268, the bill on which H.R. 2157 is based.

Madam Chair, I ask my colleagues for their support of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have no further speakers. I ask for support of Sablan amendment No. 3 and the underlying bill, H.R. 2157.

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague and friend from American Samoa for her support of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Act, which would ensure small businesses in my district have access to the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Lead Center grant program, the Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership grant program and the Microloan program. The Marianas are the only U.S. jurisdiction not included in these programs, which help small businesses access the knowledge and capital necessary to succeed and compete for federal contracting opportunities.

Last fall, our islands were struck by two catastrophic natural disasters. Typhoon Mangkhut and Super Typhoon Yutu, the second most powerful storm ever in United States history, caused widespread destruction of homes, businesses, schools and infrastructure. Under presidential disaster declarations, the SBA set up temporary disaster recovery centers on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to assist small businesses to apply for loans and other funds to cover damages resulting from the storms.

We are grateful for the SBA's assistance during these disasters. However, all SBA disaster outreach centers in the Marianas are now closed and our economy is projected to take years to fully recover. The SBA estimates there are over 1,700 small businesses in the Marianas which employ over 18,000 people. These businesses and employees do not have access to the full range of SBA programs to help them fully recover. My bill would correct that by ensuring access on the same basis as their counterparts across the nation, many of whom are also recovering from natural disasters.

Under my bill, the Marianas can apply to establish a Lead SBDC, which would make available around $600,000 in renewable funding to expand the reach and capacity of the existing SBDC service center on Saipan. With additional funding, small businesses on Saipan, Tinian and Rota will have better access to free or low-cost services such as incubator workspaces for entrepreneurs, assistance with loan applications, business planning, operations, personnel administration, marketing, export assistance, sales and other areas required for small business growth and success.

The bill would benefit aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners in the Marianas who are not able to access conventional loans at commercial banks. This legislation would provide them access to the SBA's Microloan program which provides loans up to $50,000 typically not offered by banks for working capital or the acquisition of materials, supplies, or equipment. In addition, the SBA microloan program, which is designed to assist women, low-income, veteran, and minority entrepreneurs, provides marketing, management, and technical assistance to borrowers.

The Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Act would also help our small businesses participate in federal research and development opportunities. The bill includes the Marianas in the SBA's FAST partnership program which funds outreach and technical assistance to small businesses interested in competing for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The SBIR and STTR programs have funded the development of new sources of renewable energy and low-cost technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and help give the aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses from the Marianas access to the full range of federal resources needed to help our economy recover from disaster and make their dreams of small business ownership a reality.

Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa College Access Act, which would authorize tuition assistance grants to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition costs for Northern Marianas and American Samoa community college graduates seeking to attend a four-year public university.

The importance of having an educated citizenry is a bedrock principle of our nation and has been since our founding. And in today's competitive job market, a postsecondary education is increasingly becoming a critical necessity for obtaining a decent job with a decent wage.

The Northern Mariana Islands has only been part of America for forty years. We understand well that education is key to our continued growth, but the reality is that household incomes in the Northern Marianas are less than half the national median. The U.S. territory of American Samoa is in similar economic straits. Poverty and unemployment rates there are among the highest in the country.

I believe the best way to improve economic conditions in these territories is to improve the educational opportunities of our residents. Unfortunately, however, neither the Northern Marianas nor American Samoa has a four-year institution of higher education. In fact, they are the only two congressional districts in the country without a public four-year college or university. Each has an accredited community college, but academic offerings are substantially limited.

Students from these U.S. territories wanting the advantages of a four-year university in another state or territory face significant financial difficulty. Nonresident students spend an average of $14,480 in out-of-state tuition and fees more per year than their resident peers at public four-year colleges, according to College Board. And many students in the Marianas and American Samoa wanting to attend a four-year university not only face the cost of nonresident tuition, but also the significant expense of travel. The Marianas are over 3,700 miles from the nearest state, Hawaii--a $1,100 one-way trip by plane. American Samoa to Hawaii is over 2,500 miles, over $800 one-way.

The bill follows the model of P.L. 106-98, the DC College Access Act, which allows students residing in the District of Columbia to apply for grants to help pay the cost of attending colleges outside D.C., but much smaller in scope and cost. It creates a program through which public four-year schools in the 50 states, D.C., and other U.S. territories may be reimbursed for offering in-state tuition to undergraduate students from the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

The gentlelady from American Samoa, Mrs. Radewagen, is an original cosponsor of the bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and help give students from the Northern Marianas and American Samoa the means needed to make their educational dreams a reality.

Mr. Chair, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, whom I represent, are on the front line of climate change. In the past year, back-to-back typhoons struck our islands. Lives were lost. We suffered hundreds of millions in damage.

No single weather event can be attributed to climate change. But science tells us that global warming means more frequent and more intense storms of the kind that hit the Marianas.

And we know the sudden increase in intensity of one of those storms, Super Typhoon Yutu, just before landfall in the Marianas, is characteristic of a new normal caused by higher atmospheric temperatures and warmer ocean waters. We saw the same acceleration of force as Hurricane Michael came ashore in the Gulf last year.

Today, Congress has an opportunity to act to slow climate change and reduce the disasters being caused. We can vote to return the United States to the company of nations that is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement of 2015. I support H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act.

There are those who argue it is too expensive to lower carbon pollution of our planet's atmosphere. I point to the disaster supplemental appropriation bills this House will take up shortly and previously passed in January. If we are willing to spend billions to repair the impact of climate change on communities around our nation, should we not be willing to spend to prevent that damage in the first place? Would that not be wise?

I make this plea especially for people in the Marianas and other Pacific islands. We are increasingly battered by storms. As sea levels rise, our islands are disappearing. And the coral reefs that protect our coasts and give us nourishment are dying before our eyes.

We are the front line of the consequences, yet had little to do with the decades of carbon pollution that are causing this destruction. Nevertheless, we in the islands are willing to transform, just as our nation as a whole must transform to reduce carbon emissions and protect our safety in the decades ahead.

A yes vote on H.R. 9 is an important first step.

Madam Chair, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 154.

Madam Chair, I rise to enter into a short colloquy with the distinguished gentlewoman from American Samoa.

As it is in your district, it is in my district. Sometimes we have to leave our home and travel by airplane to a place where we can receive the medical attention we need for VA services for our veterans.

I would like to discover, which I think I may already know the answer, but just for the record, a veteran who lives, say, in Saipan going to Tripler or Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center in Hawaii, that childcare is provided for that time, including the travel time and the time when the veteran is receiving medical attention in Hawaii and until that veteran returns home.

Is that an appropriate or correct interpretation of this legislation?

I yield to the gentlewoman from American Samoa.

It happens many times that a veteran, again, has to leave. For example, in my district, they would have to leave the island of Tinian or the island of Rota, fly to Saipan even to have a teleconference, a telemedicine video, with their licensed social worker, their psychologist, or their psychiatrist, and it takes time. Flights are just once a day, for example, or a flight to Guam requires an overnight stay.

So for the time that the veteran leaves home, goes to Guam, for example, gets the care and comes back, I was hoping that that restriction is appropriate.

Madam Chair, I would like to engage the gentleman from Tennessee in a colloquy.

I yield to the gentleman.

I thank the ranking member of the committee and my distinguished colleague from American Samoa.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment clarifying that telemental health services furnished by the VA are included in the list of covered healthcare services under H.R. 840.

Making it easier for veterans to get mental healthcare services by providing childcare while they are receiving treatment just makes sense. Most parents are not going to use the mental health services the VA provides if it means leaving their kids at home alone. Worrying about their children will only worsen the mental stress for veterans in need of care.

So I support H.R. 840, but I want to make sure the childcare the bill offers will be available to veterans in my district who can only receive mental health service by videoconference.

We do not have a VA psychologist in the Marianas. For that matter, we do not have a community-based outpatient clinic or a vet center or a VBA specialist, services that veterans in the rest of America can take for granted. So my vets must sit in front of a video monitor to get mental health counseling--not exactly the best arrangement, in my opinion.

So let us at least try and make sure that veterans in the Marianas-- or anywhere else in the Nation--or anywhere else the VA only offers telemedicine instead of real person-to-person care, that those veterans do not have to worry about the safety and well-being of their children. Let us be sure there is no ambiguity in H.R. 840.

I ask my colleagues for their support of my amendment, backed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, so we can be sure that even vets receiving mental health services by video can have the cost of childcare covered.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I very much thank the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from California, and the ranking member, the gentleman from Tennessee, for their leadership on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague, Ms. Brownley, for introducing this bill.

Mr. Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Chair, I have no further speakers. I ask for support for H.R. 840, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from the great State of New York and the great city of New York for inviting me to speak on the need for comprehensive immigration reform for our Nation as a whole and, specifically, about how the broken immigration system hurts people I represent in the Mariana Islands.

In 2013, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill, with Republicans and Democrats voting together, that would have gone a long way to fixing immigration.

The bill gave people who came here illegally but are now contributing to the economic prosperity of all Americans a way to come out of the shadows, and it provided for substantial improvements in border security--just what the President says he wants.

The Republican-led House decided not to take the path the Senate had courageously shown us in 2013, but I hope that, in this 116th Congress, we can dust off that comprehensive immigration reform bill and breathe new life into it.

Because our immigration problems still need fixing, we have a solution, ready-made, that already passed the Senate with Republican and Democratic votes.

I worked with the Gang of Eight in the Senate who drafted that legislation. I was able to include a section that dealt with groups of people in the Mariana Islands who fell through the cracks when Congress extended U.S. immigration law to my islands in 2008.

Let me begin by saying that none of the people I wanted to help came into our country illegally or stayed illegally. They were all lawfully present, but their situations were not understood or accounted for when Federal law was applied to the Mariana Islands. I have wanted to help them since my first days in Congress 10 years ago, and I will not stop working until they are pulled out of the limbo we left them in. Let me tell you about these people.

Imagine you are the daughter or son of parents who came to the Mariana Islands before 1976, before our islands were even part of the United States. The Mariana Islands is your only home. You grew up in the Islands, went to school, have worked there ever since, raising your own family, always lawfully present.

Then, three decades later, Congress decides to extend America's immigration borders. Suddenly, you are told you are a foreigner. You need a work visa or humanitarian parole or, otherwise, you will have to leave the only home you have ever known. Imagine.

The Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill would have fixed that.

Imagine you are living in the Mariana Islands and the local government passes a law, as it has every right to do, that gives you permanent resident status. Then along comes Congress, 25 years later, and says the Mariana Islands is within U.S. immigration borders now. Oh, and by the way, you permanent residents, you do not have that status anymore. If you want to stay, you need a work visa or humanitarian parole; otherwise, you will have to leave your home, your children, your family. Imagine.

The Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill would have fixed that.

Imagine coming to the Marianas as a foreign worker. You have contributed to economic growth and have been a lawfully present resident for decades. But Congress passes a new law, and suddenly, your status changes. Even if you have a spouse or children who are U.S. citizens, they cannot petition for you because they are too poor or underage.

Under the Obama administration, at least you were granted humanitarian parole. But the Trump administration wants you gone by June 30, June 30 of this year.

You must uproot your family, pull your children out of school, or leave them behind as orphans. Imagine.

The Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill would have fixed that, too.

Madam Speaker, I come from a very small community, compared to my colleagues here in the House, just 50,000 people. When I ask you to imagine the plight of those who were forgotten when Congress extended Federal immigration law to the Marianas, I do not have to imagine who they are. I know them individually. They are my neighbors. Some are my relatives. None are strangers to me. They are good people who came in legally and remained lawfully present. But their lives are precarious, and the Trump administration is tightening the noose.

We do not have to imagine how to help them. The solution is before us. The Senate-passed comprehensive immigration reform in 2013, a bipartisan vote, a set of policies to fix our broken system and strengthen border security, I dare say could pass this House today. Let us act.

Again, I thank the gentleman from New York for giving me this time to speak.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar), the CHC freshman Representative.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague very much for her comments.

Madam Speaker, I just realized that today, this Special Order, we had four speakers, three of whom are immigrants: the gentleman from New York, the gentleman from Illinois, and this gentleman from the Northern Marianas. We are immigrants. The sky hasn't fallen.

There is nothing to be afraid of. We are a country of immigrants.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Espaillat, for organizing this evening's Special Order on the need for immigration reform.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment that increases funding for the Marianas Medicaid block grant.

Our islands were struck by two catastrophic weather events late last year. Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall September 10, and on September 29 the President declared a major disaster for the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

While recovery from Mangkhut was still ongoing, super Typhoon Yutu, the second most powerful storm ever in United States history, struck. Yutu caused widespread destruction of homes, businesses, public facilities, and infrastructure. On October 26, the President declared a second major disaster for our islands.

Yutu also brought death.

Never in anyone's memory has a typhoon caused death in our islands, but one person died during Yutu and another in a storm-related accident. Over 130 people were injured.

Our only hospital, which has just 75 beds, packed people into the emergency room to stitch up wounds; remove glass and flying debris from legs, arms, and faces; and attend to those who needed dialysis or other treatment, while waiting days for power to be restored.

Medicaid provides one-quarter of the revenue for the hospital and health insurance for 30 percent of our population, but there is a cap on how much Medicaid funding is available to the Marianas. When a storm strikes, the program has to steal from tomorrow to pay for today.

The disaster appropriation the House passed on December 21, generous though it was, provided no money for Medicaid for the Marianas.

Chairwoman Lowey, recognizing the lapse, added $20 million in H.R. 268 for the Marianas Medicaid program to be available for the rest of the year. After her bill was drafted, however, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, informed appropriations staff that the Marianas can actually use $36 million in the wake of the typhoons.

Following that advice from CMS, I am offering an amendment that adds $16 million to the original bill, bringing total assistance for the rest of the year to the recommended $36 million.

Madam Chair, I ask my colleagues for their support of my amendment and of the underlying bill, H.R. 268. The $36 million I am requesting, by adding $16 million to the $20 million already in the bill, is what CMS told Chairwoman Lowey's staff that the Marianas can spend this year in the aftermath of Typhoon Mangkhut and super Typhoon Yutu.

Madam Chair, I include in the Record a recent news report, ``From Something to Nothing,'' published in the Honolulu Civil Beat.

`From Something To Nothing': Life In Saipan After Super Typhoon Yutu

(By Anita Hofschneider)

Chalan Kanoa, Saipan.--Elkanah Igisaiar watches her

daughter climb onto an old car and lift herself up onto the

branches of a tree. It's late afternoon on the Wednesday

before Christmas and Igisaiar is sitting in a plastic chair

outside at her family's compound in this tiny village in

southern Saipan.

The cluster of homes down the street from the island's

cathedral is where her family has lived for generations.

But since Super Typhoon Yutu blew through her neighborhood

in October, her mother's house is uninhabitable--and their

street is now a cluster of tents.

``Most of us are not really ready to talk about the

storm,'' says Igisaiar, 27. ``We are just kind of in

disbelief that we went from something to nothing.''

Two months after the worst storm to hit the U.S. since

1935, thousands of people like Igisaiar are still sleeping in

tents or outdoors. They're waiting for electricity to go back

on. And they are wondering how they'll afford to rebuild

their homes even if they are lucky enough to get some federal

aid.

Despite the severity of the storm, there's been little news

media coverage of what life is like in its aftermath. The

islands are thousands of miles away from the mainland U.S.

and the storm had only one reported casualty.

But the low death toll belies how drastically Yutu

continues to affect thousands of people.

Before Yutu, there were fewer than 100 homeless people

sleeping outdoors on the island of Saipan, the capital of the

U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Despite

widespread poverty--more than half of the community was below

the U.S. poverty line and the median income was $19,201 in

2016--it was rare to see people living in tents.

But overnight, the storm displaced an estimated 15,000 to

17,000 people, more than a quarter of the commonwealth's

population of about 55,000 people.

Severe storms are common in the Mariana Islands, an

archipelago in the western Pacific that includes Guam. Three

years ago, another storm downed half of Saipan's power poles,

leaving some families without electricity for three months.

The expectation that every year will bring extreme weather

events means government buildings and schools are built from

concrete to withstand strong winds.

More than 80 percent of houses had concrete walls as of

2016, and more than half had concrete roofs. Locals are well-

versed in the annual rituals of buying nonperishable food,

filling buckets of water and boarding up windows to protect

them from flying debris.

But Yutu exceeded expectations.

Its 180-mph sustained winds with gusts over 200 mph broke

the National Weather Service's wind instruments, flipped over

containers and ripped off thousands of roofs. Families hid

beneath cabinets, under beds and inside bathrooms to stay

safe. Even elderly people who had survived countless typhoons

on the islands say they feared for their lives. One woman was

killed by a collapsing building.

Igisaiar was in her second-floor apartment during the

storm, watching roofs flying off her neighbors' homes. She

saw one family trying to escape their house, temporarily

blocked by a huge piece of tin that flew onto their doorway.

As they crawled underneath to get out, Igisaiar's boyfriend

went downstairs to urge them to hide in their apartment.

By the time the sun rose, Igisaiar says several neighbors

were sheltering with her, her boyfriend and four children.

The storm damaged so many public schools that students

didn't have classes for more than a month and still only have

half-days. The tourism-based economy came to a standstill,

with fewer than 6,000 visitors in November, down from 48,000

the previous year.

Two months later, debris has been cleared from many

villages and the economy is rebounding. It's once again

common to see tourists on the sidewalks and their bubble-gum-

colored convertible rental cars on the roads.

But on the southern side of Saipan and throughout the

neighboring island of Tinian, families are still sifting

through the wreckage of their lives, sleeping outdoors and

waiting for the electricity to be turned back on. The storm

destroyed or severely damaged more than 5,000 houses, some of

which were home to multiple families.

And unlike disasters on the U.S. mainland, victims can't

just drive to the next county to find another place to live.

There aren't enough undamaged units on the islands of

Saipan and Tinian to house everyone who has been displaced.

Instead of handing out rental subsidies like they did after

Hurricane Michael and Hurricane Florence, federal disaster

responders have passed out more than 1,700 tents along with

military rations.

``When you've been hit like this, things get real primal

real fast and we understand that so our objective is to

provide a safe and sanitary living arrangement,'' says Victor

Inge, a FEMA spokesman based on Saipan.

The housing shortage is so severe that FEMA is calling

families and offering to buy them plane tickets out of the

islands. So far, 29 households have taken advantage of the

program and have booked tickets to Hawaii and other states.

But even though more than 3,600 people are eligible to

leave, the vast majority are choosing to stay. Igisaiar's

family is Carolinian, an indigenous Micronesian community

that sailed in canoes to the Marianas in the 19th century

after a typhoon devastated the Caroline Islands.

Although Yutu was the worst storm she's seen in her life,

Igisaiar says she wouldn't leave the Marianas even if FEMA

gave her money to do so.

She doesn't want her kids to miss more school. She's

worried about their house.

``If we leave, there's nothing that can be done with our

house,'' Igisaiar says. ``If we go, how are we going to get

the assistance?''

The Hazards of Cleaning Up

Igisaiar felt lucky at first. She didn't lose her roof. But

the next day she says her landlord asked her to move out

anyway because of the hazards posed by the damaged apartment

building.

They took just their clothes and one bed, leaving their

children's beds and their refrigerator. They drove to what

was left of the house of her mother, Rufina Angui, in Chalan

Kanoa.

The U.S. military built the house out of wood and tin 30

years ago after Typhoon Kim destroyed the previous house,

Rufina Angui says.

Angui was 27 then. Now 57, it's the first time in her life

that she's been homeless. The heat and the mosquitoes aren't

the only challenge--the lack of power means she can't use the

breathing machine she relies on to help with her sleep apnea.

Angui only recently moved back to the house and started

sleeping in the tent. During and immediately after the

typhoon, she stayed at her brother's house, which is

concrete, while Igisaiar and her boyfriend tried to fix up

the Chalan Kanoa house.

It was too dangerous to sleep inside the broken house at

first, so Igisaiar and her boyfriend lay pallets outside and

secured a tarp over them to block the rain. Igisaiar's

boyfriend, a construction worker, missed work for three weeks

to help clean up. They stacked plywood, tin and debris in

separate piles along the roadside.

Even though there were shelters available, they slept

outside and cleaned. They worried about missing their FEMA

inspection if they weren't around. Plus, who would fix up

what was left of the house if they weren't there?

But increasingly Igisaiar realized fixing the house was an

impossible task. The mold made her sick--it started with a

cough but progressed to a sinus infection until she couldn't

hear or smell well.

When Angui saw her three weeks after the storm, her

daughter was so weak that she was having a hard time

breathing. Igisaiar didn't want to leave her kids, but Angui

convinced her to go to the hospital.

Exacerbating Poverty

The first 24 hours after the storm, no one went to the

emergency room of the hospital on Saipan. And then suddenly

the ER was flooded with twice as many patients as on a normal

day--so many that there weren't enough beds in the ER.

The flow of injuries has slowed over the past two months

but hospital officials say that the disaster has illuminated

the major gaps in health care coverage. Temporary clinics set

up in devastated villages revealed that nearly half of

patients were uninsurable because they were guest workers,

undocumented immigrants or citizens of Pacific island nations

who are ineligible for Medicaid.

Esther Muna, the CEO of the local public hospital, says

she's currently most worried about mental illnesses. She's

seen patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and

depression and says there's been a spate of recent suicides.

Food safety is another concern. Commonwealth officials say

they had just reached

their goal of providing 24-hour water to all villages on

Saipan in September, and storm damage has set them back

again.

Many locals say that the U.S. government's response to Yutu

is much better than it was for Soudelor, another powerful

storm that hit Saipan three years ago.

But a speedy recovery is hindered by the islands' distance

from the rest of the U.S. The Mariana Islands are at least an

eight-hour flight from Hawaii, not including a stop in Guam.

Disaster responders have to ship in everything from concrete

poles to tents, lumber, tin, wire, transformers, even screws.

It's even harder to reach the island of Tinian, which is

between Guam and Saipan and home to about 3,500 people,

similar to the island of Lanai in Hawaii.

The entire island was engulfed by the eye of the storm. At

the commuter airport on Saipan that facilitates flights to

Tinian, airplanes were destroyed, preventing travel for days.

Passengers now buy tickets from a makeshift airport building

made out of containers and tents.

Staff of the Tinian Health Center, an outpost of the public

hospital, hid in the radiology room to survive the storm.

Ninety percent of the 35-member staff lost their homes, Muna

says.

things could be worse

Things have been a lot easier ever since Igisaiar got back

from the ER. She wishes she remembered the name of the doctor

who helped her and got her family a tent to sleep in.

Sleeping inside the tent is a huge improvement over

sleeping under the tarp, even though it's hot during the day.

Life now consists of waiting. Waiting until FEMA tells her

mother and aunt how much money they qualify for, waiting

until they can figure out what to do with the house and how

much it will cost to rebuild it.

She's thought about selling her families' goats--they have

seven, with names like Olaf and Elsa. But she wants to keep

them because her kids love them. Plus, in Carolinian culture

you're supposed to value gifts more than things you buy.

She thought about applying to FEMA for funds to make up for

losing their cell phones and appliances when their apartment

flooded during the typhoon. But she decided against it.

``For me, those are nothing,'' she says. ``There are other

people that just totally lost everything so why not give it

to the people that need it the most?''

She did apply for money from the Red Cross and used the

$750 to buy school supplies and clothes for her kids.

Every morning, she goes to buy ice so that her kids can

have cold water. She spends the day watching her children and

helping her mom. They have even started volunteering at Empty

Vessel, a Christian social service organization that hands

out clothes to those in need.

Angui says she's tired of eating canned goods, but the

family knows it's lucky to have food stamps.

``We're not hungry,'' Angui says.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Madam Chair, I have no further statements to make. I ask for support of my amendment and the underlying bill, H.R. 268, and I yield back the balance of my time

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, my second amendment to this Supplemental Appropriations Act increases emergency food assistance for the Marianas.

As I explained earlier, our islands were struck by not one, but two typhoons last year, one right after another--Typhoon Mangkhut and Super Typhoon Yutu, the second most powerful storm ever in U.S. history.

Within the first 30 days after Yutu, our local food stamp program had incurred costs of $10.2 million. That money helped families replace the food they lost in the storms when their homes lost roofs and water poured in and electricity and refrigeration were cut off.

Over 40,000 people, out of our total population of 54,000, received help in that first month, according to the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service. H.R. 268 replaces that first month's expenditure with an appropriation of $10.2 million.

I thank Chair Lowey for recognizing the need, but beyond that first month of emergency, more is needed.

The Marianas is not part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP. Instead, we receive a block grant from the Federal Government. With the block grant, there is no reserve, as with SNAP. When disaster strikes, not only is money used up faster than planned on the front end, future costs also rise until families get back on their feet.

Madam Chair, I have no official projection of the ongoing costs, because Agriculture employees are furloughed. But just before the lights went out, my staff learned that about 20 percent of the people who received food assistance right after the storm were expected to remain eligible.

If these projections hold true, total caseload will double from 3,000 households to 6,000 households. The $15 million in my amendment will provide a little over 6 months of funding for those newly eligible households until their incomes can recover.

If $15 million proves too generous, which I very much doubt, the Secretary has authority to grant only as much as needed to respond to the disaster caused by Typhoon Mangkhut and Super Typhoon Yutu. I ask my colleagues for their support of my amendment and of H.R. 268.

Madam Chair, again, because the Marianas is not part of SNAP, there is no contingency funding to absorb the costs of this disaster. With more families eligible for assistance, unless we make more funds available, benefits will have to be cut across the board. That is not a right way to respond when people are trying to put their lives back together so they can support themselves and their families again.

Madam Chair, I ask my colleagues to support my amendment making another $15 million available so these families have enough food. I urge your support for the underlying bill as well, and I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the conferees on H.R. 6157 for rejecting a proposal by the Trump administration to use this appropriation measure to impose a new

$700 fee for businesses in the Northern Mariana Islands that employ foreign workers under the Commonwealth Only Transitional Worker (CW) program.

Working with Chairman Bishop, Ranking Member Grijalva, and other colleagues here in the House of Representatives, I was recently able to enact the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act, Public Law 115- 218, including a new requirement for employment of those workers: the U.S. Department of Labor must first certify that no U.S. worker is able, willing, and available for the job that would be filled.

This is the same kind of certification required prior to issuance of an H-2B visa for temporary foreign workers, but which is free for that purpose. In my view the certification should be free to employers in the Marianas, as well. I can understand that the Department may face new costs in standing up and operating this service for the Marianas CW program. The Department, however, had the opportunity during the drafting of the U.S. Workforce Act to ask for the authority to levy a fee. They did not nor is it likely I would have agreed.

Nevertheless, it is in the interest of our businesses and the Marianas economy that the new certification requirement be initiated without delay. The conferees have ensured that will be the case by providing in Section 118 of H.R. 6157 for the rescission of $8.25 million in unobligated funds from the H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Account to be used in fiscal year 2019 for processing applications for foreign labor certifications, including activities related to wage determinations and associated tasks, submitted by Marianas employers. Again, I thank the conferees for adopting this win-win solution.

I wish also to record my support for extension of the Violence Against Women Act in the Continuing Resolution through December 7, although, of course, a reauthorization for a multi-year period is still wanting. I was an original cosponsor of the reauthorization in 2013 and included a provision in Section 201 that doubled funding allocated to the Northern Mariana Islands for the Sexual Assault Service Program. And Section 809 allowed women who petition for status as victims of human trafficking or violence to count the time lived in the Northern Marianas as time present in the United States, so they can more quickly adjust to a permanent immigrant status. I am also an original cosponsor of reauthorization of VAWA in this Congress, H.R. 6545.

Lastly, I strongly support the 2.6 percent pay increase for our uniformed services, mandated in H.R. 6157. Our country asks so much of these brave men and women and we owe them, at the very least, a wage that keeps pace with costs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the 28 young men and women from the Northern Mariana Islands who competed laudably at this year's National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in June. Members of the Marianas team in both the junior and senior divisions performed excellently, some even placing in the top 10 in the country.

The Junior Team earned handsomely with Elaine Fernandez of Francisco Sablan Middle School and Jonathan Wolf of Dandan Middle School both making it to the finals and placing number five in the nation in their categories, Story Telling and Humorous Interpretation, respectively. Vladimir Palma of Hopwood Middle School placed in the semi-finals, finishing top eight in the nation.

Placing in the quarter finals for the Junior Team were Jonathan and Lars Wolf, who finished top 24 in the nation, with Jonathan also placing top 24 in Poetry Reading. Vladimir Palma placed top 30 in the nation in Prose Reading.

The rest of Junior Team members performed excellently and included Patreisha Concillado and Elaine Fernandez from Fransisco Sablan Middle School; Dane Hodges and Cevina Huang from Saipan International School; Juliet Innocencio, Oceana and Issa Teigita from Dandan Middle School; Vivien Liu and Edgardo Palma from Hopwood Middle School; Jill Mallari from Mount Carmel School and Christian Pamintuan from Green Meadow School.

On the Senior Team, Kate Ishida of Marianas High School placed in the semi-finals, earning number 12 in the nation in Poetry Reading. She also placed in the quarter finals in Prose Reading, finishing in the top seven percent in the nation. Elizabeth Rose Jones of Kagman High School placed in the quarter finals and earned number 15 in the nation in Expository Speech.

Senior Team members who placed highly include Shea Hartig of Saipan International School who places in the top 17 percent in the nation for Impromptu Speech and top 38% percent in Poetry Reading. Su Min (Melody) Woo of Grace Christian Academy finished in the top 36 percent for Prose Reading. Nina Validismo of Kagman High School, Jeremiah Fernandez of Saipan Southern High School and Elijah Joshua Pajarillaga from Grace Christian Academy all placed in the top 40% in the nation in their respective categories: Story Telling for the two former and Impromptu Speech for the later.

The rest of the Senior Team members performed superbly and included Neamiah Fernandez from Saipan Southern High School; Jeff Melchor from Mount Carmel School; Esther Park, Kelvin Wolf, Joseph Zhang and Emma Timmons from Marianas High School; and Lanz Jabez Victoria from Grace Christian Academy.

These young orators were able to compete at such a high level with the guidance of all their coaches. The Junior Team was coached by Criselda Aldan from Mount Carmel School, Cary Bertoncini from Saipan International School, Lorelisa Espiritu from Great Meadow School, Maria Mettao from Francisco Sablan Middle School, Victoria Nishida from Hopwood Middle School, and Kristine Wolf from Dandan Middle School. Junior team coordinator and CNMI Representative to NSDA was Harold Easton.

The coaches for the Senior Team were Frank Borja from Saipan Southern High School, Grace Duran from Grace Christian Academy, Joy Jones from Kagman High School and Dencio Manglona from Marianas High School.

In addition to their performances in competition, the team was also able meet fellow orators from the continental United States, at last connecting with a network of fellow students passionate about speech and debate. The team also made contact with colleges and universities that especially recruit speech and debate students. Overall, it was a thoroughly enriching experience.

Please join me in congratulating the Marianas Team for their exceptional performances at the 2018 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament.

Mr. Speaker, the recently announced decision to lay off ``temporarily'' hundreds of U.S. workers at the Imperial Pacific International casino construction site in the Northern Mariana Islands raises serious concerns about the use of foreign labor at this project. Pacific Rim, the contractor, announced the lay-off in July pending ``contract renegotiations.'' Meanwhile, work will go on, using foreign workers with H-2B visas to replace the U.S. workers.

Even half-finished, the Imperial Pacific International casino has lifted the economy of the Marianas. So, local news has focused on reassuring the public that work to complete the casino and its associated resort would continue. But these reassurances mean little to the U.S. workers who have lost their jobs, or to their families.

It also raises the question of why the U.S. Department of Labor, as it has reported to me, issued 1,668 foreign labor certifications to Imperial Pacific International to hire the H-2B visa holders, who are now taking the jobs of U.S. workers in apparent contravention of U.S. labor law.

Labor issued these foreign labor certifications to Imperial Pacific International (IPI) despite the history of occupational safety and health and wage and hour violations that the Department previously uncovered at this job site.

In May 2017, after a worker fell to his death and multiple other, serious workplace injuries were treated at the local hospital, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed $193,750 in penalties for three of IPI's construction subcontractors.

In March 2018, the Department finalized settlements with IPI subcontractors of $13.9 million for unpaid wages and liquidated damages owed to over 2,400 employees.

In addition to these violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, a raid of the site by the Federal Bureau of Investigation also revealed that the subcontractors had been unlawfully employing persons who were admitted to the United States from China as tourists.

This record in itself should have raised red flags at the U.S. Department of Labor. But the underlying purpose and process for foreign labor certification seems also in this case to have been subverted.

In order to obtain foreign labor certifications, which are a prerequisite to applying for an H-2B visa, an employer must attest that the job in question will be offered to any qualified and available U.S. worker who applies or is referred for the job opportunity. And in order to obtain an H-2B visa, an employer must attest that they have not laid off and will not lay off any similarly employed U.S. worker, unless the layoff is for lawful, job-related reasons and unless all H-2B workers are laid off first. The present lay-offs of U.S. workers, while work continues using H-2B workers, cannot be consistent with these employer attestations.

Let us look at the history of the Imperial Pacific International worksite:

In fiscal year 2016 the Marianas experienced a labor crisis, when the annual, numerical cap was reached for the Commonwealth Only Transitional Worker (CW) program. For the first time the Department of Homeland Security stopped accepting applications for this foreign labor program, unique to the Marianas. As the Government Accountability Office explained in a 2017 report commissioned by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, and I:

Demand for foreign workers in the CNMI exceeded the

available number of CW-1 permits in 2016--many approved for

workers from China and workers in construction occupations.

The construction of a new casino in Saipan is a key factor in

this demand.

In fact, GAO reported, the demand for foreign workers jumped from 9,188 in 2014 to a number exceeding the 2016 cap of 13,299, almost entirely because of the demand for construction workers. The result was to crowd out established, local businesses, who employed CW workers and to force long-time foreign workers, who had demonstrated value to our economy and established roots in our community, to return home.

Not only was this crush of construction workers at the casino site economically and socially disruptive, it also did not jibe with the rules for the CW program. CW permits are only available to employers of foreign workers who are ineligible for any other U.S. work visa. Although some of the casino construction workers held CW permits (and some were employed illegally, having entered as tourists), we now know that these workers could well have received H-2B visas. Because, as the U.S. Department of Labor has reported, it issued 1,668 H-2B foreign labor certifications to IPI.

To end further abuse of the CW program and to protect the interests of local businesses in my district and their long-term workers and their families, I introduced legislation that, among other provisions, prohibited any further use of CW permits for new construction workers in the Marianas. Chairman Murkowski observed at her committee's hearing on my bill, H.R. 339, that this bar on the use of CW permits for new construction workers was in her view the most important provision. Not only did it curb the abuse of the CW permit, but it was also meant to force the federal government to make the determination, through the foreign labor certification process, of whether U.S. workers were available for any construction jobs on offer. President Trump signed my bill into law in August 2017. It became U.S. Public Law 115-53.

IPI quickly responded to these new constraints by hiring Pacific Rim, a U.S.-based firm, to continue construction of the casino. And Pacific Rim president and owner Keith Stewart announced to the Guam Daily Post that he was looking to hire hundreds of skilled U.S. tradesmen for the work. I include in the Record comments from Edward Deleon Guerrero, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Casino Commission, who reacted positively to this news in an interview with KSPN-TV in January 2018:

Reporter: IPI is currently in contractual conversations

with a new construction company, Pacific Rim, to finish the

resort.

Guerrero: We are more confident when we are dealing with a

U.S. construction company.

Reporter: IPI's previous, Chinese-based construction

companies brought in illegal construction workers and

ultimately caused progress on the building to come to a

standstill, once the FBI realized what was going on. Guerrero

hopes to avoid, quote, `another fiasco like that from

happening again.'

Guerrero: Definitely do not want to see a repeat of that.

Reporter: This time around, however, the work will be done

with mostly U.S. based workers.

Guerrero: It is my understanding that all, I mean, most, if

not all of the workers are U.S. construction workers.

In March, Pacific Rim held a job fair on Guam, which drew enthusiastic response from U.S. workers, who expressed a willingness to move to Saipan for new work opportunities and the chance to earn overtime and per diem, in addition to their regular pay. At the fair Pacific Rim General Superintendent Tony Costa confirmed to the Post that his company wanted to have around 500 U.S. workers on the IPI site.

Marianas Governor Ralph Torres even testified with pride before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on February 6 of this year about the turnaround:

I'm proud to announce that because of learning of an issue

that was experienced last year, we have signed U.S.

contractors to finish the hotel of the casino that was

signed, I believe, less than a month ago that will be hiring

more U.S. workers to finish the construction of the hotel

site.

The Governor also said IPI intended to complete construction by August 2018 and assured the Committee that his administration was closely monitoring labor conditions at the site. It should be noted, too, that the original casino license agreement included the stated objective to have permanent U.S. residents be at least 65 percent of all employees--an objective that has not been met.

The Governor's testimony came at the hearing held to consider the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act, legislation that Chairman Murkowski and I had jointly introduced to incentivize the hiring of U.S. workers in the Marianas. President Trump signed the Act into law on July 24. Among other new protections for U.S. workers, Public Law 115-218 extends to the CW program the requirement for prior U.S. Department of Labor labor certifications, a stipulation the Governor, the Marianas Legislature, and our business community all rightly agreed to.

Despite all these efforts and assurances to U.S. workers, however, at the same time IPI had begun the process of applying for foreign labor certifications from the U.S. Department of Labor with the intent to secure H-2B visas and hire foreign construction workers. Nominally, these foreign workers were to buttress, not replace Pacific Rim's U.S. workforce. Instead, U.S. workers have now lost their jobs, replaced by foreign workers. Attestations to the U.S. Department of Labor that U.S. workers would not be laid off and replaced with foreign workers have not proven true. Assurances by the Governor to keep watch on the Imperial Pacific job site seem hollow in light of recent events.

This must stop.

The people of the Northern Mariana Islands, whom I represent, are tired of having outside, foreign interests time-after-time give our islands a black eye by skirting the law, cutting corners on safety, playing fast and loose with the rules and thinking they can get away with it, beholden only to their bottom line and a handful of high- ranking local officials.

The U.S. Department of Labor, after enabling IPI by granting 1,668 foreign labor certifications, must take immediate action to step up enforcement and ensure IPI maintains absolute compliance with U.S. law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the 31 young men and women from the Northern Mariana Islands who performed so admirably at the International Thespian Society Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska last week. Marianas team members earned Superior Medals and even perfect scores at the event.

Winners of Superior Medals were Jonathan and Lars Wolf of Dan Dan Middle School, Louise Li and Julia Malate of Marianas High School, Elizabeth Rose Jones of Kagman High School and the members of Marianas High School's glee club, ``Rythym N' Harmony'': Miguel Aninon, Roland Balajadia, Angela Barbo, Eden Conner, Jefferson Cunanan, Donna Galvez, Lesly Ibarra, Leonard Manuel, James Reyes, Charley Sablan, Clarisse Torio, and Rinisa Torres. The Wolf brothers performed a duet acting piece, Jones performed a solo musical theatre piece, Rhythm N' Harmony won two medals for group musical performance while Li and Malate won their medals in non-performance categories, Li for theatre marketing and Malate for costume design.

Li and Malate also received perfect scores for their performances, with Rhythm N' Harmony scoring perfectly twice.

The rest of the team performed superbly as well, most receiving ratings of ``excellent'' for their work. From Dan Dan Middle School is Juliet Inocencio, from Hopwood Junior High School is Edgardo and Vladimir Palma, from Francisco M. Sablan Middle School is Christine Munar, from Grace Christian Academy is Su Min (Melody) Woo and from Marianas High School is Rouxiang (John) Lu, Kaye Ann Obando, Michaela Gatdula, Anjenette Cubangbang, Casey Huliganga, Lance Elayda, Chloe Salvosa, Deirdre Rosete, Kasandra ``Myka'' Villegas and Kelvin Wolf.

Most of these students had to compete throughout the school year to earn a spot on the team roster. But our senior thespians were chosen to participate in an invitation-only Chapter Select Showcase. Their stage production of ``The Internet is Distract--OH LOOK, A KITTEN'' by Ian McWethy was an effort that included collaboration from several different schools. Kagman High School Coach Joy Jones directed. The Marianas High School Art Club painted backdrops. And public relations and technical support were the work of the Senior Art Club under the direction of Marianas High School Coach Jonel Alepuyo with the participation of all senior performers. The team took home a recognition trophy.

In addition to the ratings and medals, the festival was an opportunity for some of our rising seniors to showcase their talents for colleges in hopes for recruitment. Rouxiang (John) Lu and Su Min (Melody) Woo both got at least 20 call backs and Kelvin Wolf and Clarisse Torrio got at least 10 call backs each.

Of course, these young, aspiring entertainers could not have been so successful without the team of faculty coaches who helped them hone their skills. Coaching the junior thespians were Kristine Wolf of Dan Dan Middle School and Harold Easton of Marianas High School. Coaching the junior thespians were Karen Alla and Jonel Jones of Marianas High School and Joy Jones of Kagman High School. I thank them all.

In addition to their own performances the Marianas team participated in daily workshops, saw performances by fellow thespians from around the country, and got the chance to meet and mingle with fellow members of the International Thespian Society, the honor society for middle and high school theatre students that hosts this festival each year. It is truly an enriching and educational experience.

Please join me in congratulating the Marianas Team for their outstanding performances at the 2018 International Thespian Festival.