Sablan, Gregorio, 1955-

<p>Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan is the first and only person to represent the people of the Northern Mariana Islands in the U.S. House of Representatives. He began service on January 6, 2009 and has been reelected to office six times.</p>

<p>In the 117th Congress the Congressman became Chair of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education of the House Committee on Education and Labor. He also serves as Vice Chair for Insular Affairs on the House Committee on Natural Resources with leadership responsibility for all insular area issues and is a Member on its National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee. As the lone representative of the Marianas in Congress, Sablan has also been granted a waiver from the Democratic Caucus Leadership for membership on a third and fourth committee. Because of the large number of veterans in the Marianas and the need to improve services to them, Congressman Sablan selected the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. He serves on the Health Subcommittee. Congressman Sablan also sits on the House Committee on Agriculture where he serves on the Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations Subcommittee.</p>

<p>During his six terms in office Congressman Sablan has been responsible for legislation increasing funding to Northern Mariana Islands schools and individual students, to the Commonwealth Healthcare Center, and for water and sewer projects in his district. He expanded federal food and energy assistance for low-income families in his district. And his legislative work resulted in the return of ownership of submerged lands around the Northern Marianas to the people he represents. Congressman Sablan has also taken an active hand in easing the transition from local to federal management of immigration in the Northern Marianas through assistance to individuals, working closely with the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Labor on implementing policy, and by enacting into law extensions of a number of transitional policies.</p>

<p>Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan /ɡrɪˈɡɔːrioʊ kɪˈliːli kəˈmɑːtʃoʊ səˈblɑːn/ (born January 19, 1955) is a Northern Mariana Islander politician and former election commissioner. Elected in 2008, Sablan became the first delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.</p>

<p>Elected as an independent, Sablan caucuses with the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. In February 2009, Sablan became a Democrat. Sablan is the only Chamorro member of Congress. He was re-elected as a Democrat in the 2010 and 2012 elections and was re-elected as an independent in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.</p>

SABLAN, Gregorio Kilili Camacho, a Delegate from the Northern Mariana Islands; born in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, January 19, 1955; graduated from Marianas High School, Susupe, Northern Mariana Island, 1972; attended University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii, 1989-1990; United States Army, 1981-1986; staff, United States Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii; member of the Northern Mariana Islands house of representatives, 1982-1986; elected as an Independent to the One Hundred Eleventh Congress, changed his party affiliation from an Independent to a Democrat on February 23, 2009, elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Twelfth and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2009-present).