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I wanted to begin this week’s recap by sharing a few thoughts on the passing of Former Lieutenant Governor Diego Benavente.
Washington, D.C. – The House Small Business Committee today unanimously advanced H.R. 3496, the Northern Mariana Islands Small Business Access Act, legislation introduced by Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds to give entrepreneurs in the Marianas access to the Small Business Administration’s microloan program for the first time. The bill was reported out of committee on a 27 to 0 vote.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds announced that several important provisions for the Marianas were included in the bipartisan funding package passed by Congress last week as part of the agreement to end the federal government shutdown. The package consisted of a three-bill minibus that provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction, and the operations of Congress. All other federal agencies were funded through a continuing resolution until January 30.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-Northern Mariana Islands) joined Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands), Congresswoman Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), and Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam) in introducing H.R. 5960, a bipartisan bill to restore duty-free treatment for low-value shipments from the U.S. territories following the recent suspension of de minimis privileges under Executive Order 14324.
Huge props to CNMI long distance runner Tania Tan for being named Pacific Player of the Week by Nesia Daily, a part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Tania’s record-breaking performance in the 1500m at the Oceania Cup in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, has made the entire Marianas proud.
It is always important to listen to and learn from the experts doing the work on the ground. This week, I had the chance to do just that in meeting with Zabrina Cruz of the Division of Environmental Quality, Kelsey McClellan from NMC’s Natural Resources Management program, and Travis Spaeth of the U.S. Public Health Service. We discussed the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which are showing increased levels in the Saipan aquifer. Every elected official has a responsibility to ensure the resources our people rely on are safe for their health.
It is an honor to represent the people of the CNMI, and it is also really meaningful to play a role in the major issues facing our islands. I am grateful for this responsibility, which is why I believe it is important to share as much as I can about the work happening in Washington and how it affects our community. I had the chance to do that this week when I spoke to Thomas Manglona’s Current Issues class at the Northern Marianas College. It was amazing to hear directly from NMC students about the topics they care about.
I had the great pleasure of meeting with executives from Zo Motors this week, joined by Dr.