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Governor to host dinner for US lawmakers on Sunday
Visiting members of the U.S. House of Representatives with oversight on insular areas will be treated to an island dinner on Sunday night, with Gov. Eloy S. Inos and other local officials hosting the welcome reception at the beach side of Fiesta Resort & Spa.
U.S. House Natural Resources Committee chair Doc Hastings of Washington and Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs chair John Fleming of Louisiana are among those expected to be a part of the so-called congressional delegation, accompanied by the CNMI’s own delegate, Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP).
The governor said the dinner reception is a “social event” and there is no formal meeting scheduled, although he hopes to bring up the issue of still pending bills in Congress that extend the CNMI’s exemption from accepting asylum applicants beyond 2014.
The same bills also extend the CNMI-only investor visa program and the CNMI and Guam’s exemption from the H visa caps beyond 2014.
Inos said these are time-sensitive bills that the CNMI needs.
“Congressman Kilili is marshalling that,” he said, but will also personally ask for U.S. lawmakers’ support to the CNMI bills.
Inos said the congressional delegation will also be special guests at the opening of the permanent Garapan public market on Monday morning.
