Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan

Gregorio Sablan is the current and the first nonvoting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Background

Sablan was born on the island of Saipan on January 19, 1955. He is one of seven children from a large extended family with Chamorro and Hispanic roots.

At the age of 11 Kilili moved to the island of Chuuk to attend the Jesuit Xavier High School, then the only high school in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Being the sole Chamorro student, Kilili learned how to adapt to new environments and institutions and to find common ground with people from different cultures and backgrounds—skills which have served him well as a Member of Congress.

Kilili graduated from Marianas High School on Saipan, then attended the University of Guam before continuing college in Berkeley, California. A family crisis brought him home before his studies were complete, but it was during his college days that Kilili decided to go into public office.

He began service in the administration of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ first Governor, Carlos S. Camacho, and then was elected to the 3rd Northern Mariana Islands Legislature in 1981. Kilili was appointed to be a special representative to negotiations with the federal government on continuance of the financial assistance to the islands that had begun with Section 702 of the Covenant of Political Union between the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States. Kilili and his colleagues won a seven-year, full faith and credit commitment from the U.S. for $228 million. This allowed the Commonwealth to secure immediate, “front-end” funding for much-needed capital improvement projects.

After two terms in the Legislature, Kilili was selected to be a Special Assistant in Washington, DC to United States Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawai’i, then served in the administrations of Commonwealth Governors Froilan C. Tenorio and Pedro P. Tenorio, before being appointed as Executive Director of the Commonwealth Election Commission.

Kilili served in the Army Reserves from 1981 to 1986.

He is married to Andrea Sablan.

Effort to Stop Development Projects

Rep. Ro Khanna, Tefere Gebre of Greenpeace, Grace Tuttle of Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights and Naadiya Hutchinson, Government Affairs Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice were listed as speakers for a "Special Town Hall" dated September 15, 2022 sponsored by Our Revolution. The meeting is to discuss strategies to stop the public from using strategic litigation to shut down development prjects. Our Revolution, Greenpeace, Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) and WE ACT for Environmental Justice participated. In a mass email, Our Revolution linked to a letter signed by democrats to thwart development projects.

From the event invitation:

"Our Revolution, America’s largest grassroots progressive organization, is partnering with Greenpeace USA to stop a looming threat to our communities and our planet. together, we are hosting a Town Hall to mobilize our networks of millions of members and hundreds of local chapters to stop a deal negotiated between Senator Joe Manchin, The American Petroleum Institute (API), and Democratic leadership to fast track permitting of fossil fuel extraction projects, leading to potential catastrophic climate impacts.

Join frontline communities and our allies in Congress to learn what you can do to help us stop Manchin's Dirty Deal!

From a mass email sent by Our Revolution dated September 12, 2022:

"Our Revolution is leading the charge alongside frontline communities and environmental justice groups like Greenpeace to kill Joe Manchin’s side deal for more dirty oil favors.

"Manchin is willing to shut down the government for more fossil fuel projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline in WV and strip safeguards from impacted communities.

"Dems can’t celebrate “the biggest climate steps in history” while reversing them by caving to a literal coal baron.

"Our coalition of 650 organizations is urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to detach the deal from the must-pass bill to fund the government — we cannot let Manchin hold us hostage!

"Bernie railed against it on the Senate floor this week and says he’ll vote it down, and Our Revolution is calling for a progressive mutiny in Congress.

"A coalition of 72 US House Reps have signed onto a letter led by US Rep. Raul Grijalva - but we need more of our representatives in Congress to stand in opposition.

Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan signed the letter.

Delegation to China

2017 Congressional Members Delegation September 15, 2017 to September 24, 2017 .Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, and Qufu, China.

In September 2017, the National Committee on U.S. China Relations escorted a seventh group to Beijing, Tianjin, Jinan, and Qufu. The delegation was led by the two current co-chairs of the USCWG, Congressmen Rick Larsen (D-WA-2) and Darin LaHood (R-IL-18), joined by Congressmen Gregorio Sablan (D-NMI), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18), David Young (R-IA-3), and Roger Marshall (R-KS-1).

Meetings focused on issues of agriculture, aviation, and environmental protection; the situation surrounding North Korea was also a frequent topic of discussion. The delegation met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Zhongnanhai, Chair Madame Fu Ying of the National People’s Congress, vice ministers of various ministries including Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Environmental Protection, the Central Military Commission, foreign and local NGOs, American and Chinese businessmen, provincial and municipals officials from Shandong, among others.

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

In May 2013, Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan was listed as a member the Executive Board of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus

In 2012 Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Campaign to Make Immigration Reform a Top Issue in 2010

On October 13 2010 , immigration activists from around the country gathered to join in a vigil and rally in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC., where Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez and other elected officials launched a new push for comprehensive immigration reform, building to the opening months of 2010. their banners read “Reform Immigration FOR Families” and “Family Unity Cannot Wait.”

More than 750 people traveled to Washington on buses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday morning meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to listen to testimonies from families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation.

Religious leaders from a diverse array of faith traditions around the country, some organized through Familias Unidas, added their voices.

At the event Congressman Gutierrez outlined a set of principles for progressive immigration reform that needs to include a rational and humane approach to legalize the undocumented population, to protect workers’ rights, to allocate sufficient visas, to establish a smarter and more humane border enforcement policy, to promote integration of immigrant communities, to include the DREAM Act and AgJOBS bills, to protect rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and to keep families together.

The lawmakers who joined Rep. Gutierrez on stage, and addressed the gathering included Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairs Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Member, Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Michael Quigley (D-IL), and Delegate Gregorio Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands).

HR 109 endorser

By February 20 2019 endorsers of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's HR 109 (Green New Deal) included Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan.

Medicare for All Act

In February 2019 Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced H.R.1384 - Medicare for All Act of 2019. By May 29 she had 110 co-sponsors including Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan.

External links

• Sablan's website with the House of Representatives

References

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