[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1203-H1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS RESIDENTS RELIEF ACT

  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 560) to amend section 6 of the Joint Resolution entitled ``A 
Joint Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States 
of America, and for other purposes'', as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 560

         Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
     of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

         This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Mariana Islands 
     Residents Relief Act''.

     SEC. 2. LONG-TERM LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE 
                   NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.

         Section 6(e)(6)(B) of the Joint Resolution entitled ``A 
     Joint Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish a 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political 
     Union with the United States of America, and for other 
     purposes'', approved March 24, 1976 (48 U.S.C. 1806), is 
     amended--
         (1) in clause (iii), by inserting ``except in the case of 
     an alien who meets the requirements of subclause (VI) of 
     clause (v),'' before ``resided continuously and lawfully''; 
     and
         (2) in clause (v)--
         (A) in subclause (IV), by striking ``; or'' and inserting 
     a semicolon;
         (B) in subclause (V), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``;''; and
         (C) by adding at the end the following:

         ``(VI) was admitted to the Commonwealth as a Commonwealth 
     Only Transitional Worker during fiscal year 2015, and during 
     every subsequent fiscal year beginning before the date of the 
     enactment of the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act 
     of 2018 (Public Law 115-218); or
         ``(VII) resided in the Northern Mariana Islands as an 
     investor under Commonwealth immigration law, and is presently 
     a resident classified as a CNMI-only nonimmigrant under 
     section 101(a)(15)(E)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality 
     Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(E)(ii)).''.

     SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

         The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Neguse) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
McClintock) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.


                             General Leave

  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 560, which was introduced by my colleague, the 
Delegate from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan), will address 
an issue involving certain long-term residents in his district that was 
not addressed when we extended the U.S. immigration laws to the CNMI in 
2009.
  The Natural Resources Committee held a markup of the bill on 
September 18, 2019, and ordered the bill reported favorably to the 
House by voice.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) to explain his 
legislation.
  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  I have been working for the last dozen years to make the transition 
to Federal immigration policy in the Marianas as least difficult as 
possible.
  In 2018, with Chairman   Rob Bishop's essential help, we protected 
the rights of U.S. workers against the unfair competition from foreign 
workers in the Marianas' economy with Public Law 115-218.
  Last year, President Trump signed Public Law 116-24 and helped us 
convert about 1,000 people living under administrative parole into 
residents with a permanent legal status in the Marianas only, not 
eligible for any public charge at all.
  Just last week, the administration issued the necessary guidance to 
allow those 1,000 people to begin the application process, and I am 
very grateful to the President and to everyone at USCIS and the 
Department of Homeland Security for their support.
  Today's bill, H.R. 560, continues this work of smoothing over the 
rough places in the application of national immigration law to my 
isolated district.
  H.R. 560 provides the same permanent status--in the Marianas only--
that President Trump approved for parolees in June. This time, we want 
to give stability to a small group of investors who were in the 
Marianas even before Federal immigration. They have been holding on 
with short-term visas ever since, never certain from year to year about 
their business investments.

                              {time}  1300

  We want to give the same certainty to a group of long-term workers--
some of whom have been in the Marianas for 40 years--and to the 
businesses that employ them.
  The Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on H.R. 560 last 
February. Our Republican Governor, the Honorable Ralph Torres, 
testified in favor of the bill. The Trump administration did not take a 
position, but their witness said: ``Without a sustained labor force, 
projected investment in the CNMI likely will wither.''
  Well, we can do something to avoid that consequence by passing H.R. 
560. Again, this bill is Marianas only. It has bipartisan support. 
Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop are both cosponsors, for 
which I am grateful.
  Madam Speaker, I ask all Members now to vote in favor.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, as was just described, H.R. 560 would extend Northern 
Mariana Islands-only resident status for two groups of foreign 
nationals: individuals who came to Northern Mariana Islands as 
transitional workers in 2015, and individuals who have resided

[[Page H1204]]

in the Northern Mariana Islands with an investor status.
  These individuals were excluded from a June 2019 law that allowed 
other classes of current Northern Mariana Islands workers to remain in 
the territory. If signed into law, H.R. 560 would allow approximately 
3,000 additional foreign nationals to remain there long term.
  Now, bear in mind that the entire population of the Northern Mariana 
Islands is about 55,000, so just this addition of foreign nationals 
comprises about 5 percent of the entire population of the islands.
  While I appreciate the majority did take this bill through regular 
order, I am still disappointed that it has not been willing to work 
with the Department of Homeland Security or even wait for it to 
consider the impact of the bill before moving it to the floor.
  As the Department of Homeland Security is charged with managing 
programs that allow foreign nationals to work in the Northern Mariana 
Islands and elsewhere, I believe it is critical to have their views on 
something they will be charged with executing.
  Further, it is my continued hope that this body remains committed to 
promoting an American workforce rather than that of a foreign one.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 560, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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