Conference Report on H.R. Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. SABLAN. 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.
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