Northern Mariana Islands Residents Relief Act

Floor Speech

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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.
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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.

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Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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