Gregorio Sablan
Encyclopedia
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (born January 19, 1955) is a Northern Mariana
politician
and former election commission
director. Sablan was elected in 2008 as the first nonvoting delegate
to the United States House of Representatives
from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The CNMI is the last insular area of the United States of America to receive a nonvoting delegate to Congress, and is the last jurisdiction of the United States to receive representation in Congress.
Sablan, who was elected as an independent, caucused with the Democrats
in the House of Representatives. In February 2009, Sablan became a Democrat. He became the only Chamorro member of Congress when he assumed office in January 2009. He easily won reelection on November 2, 2010.
. His uncle was the mayor of Saipan.
At the age of eleven, Sablan began boarding at Xavier High School, a Jesuit school in Chuuk
in the Federated States of Micronesia
, then administered by the United States. He then returned to Saipan, where he graduated from Marianas High School
. At the age of sixteen, Sablan began attending the University of Guam
, then transferring to the University of California at Berkeley. However, he dropped out of college when his father lost his job. Upon returning to Saipan, Sablan married and then had three children. He later attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa
from 1989 until 1990, but did not graduate.
Sablan is married to Andrea, a Filipino American
, and has six children and five grandchildren.
in the from 1982 until 1986. He served in the legislature as a Democrat
. Sablan was selected as a special representative to hold talks with the United States Assistant Secretary of the Interior to negotiate federal assistance for the CNMI during his tenure in office.
He retired from the Commonwealth Legislature to become Special Assistant to Daniel Inouye
, a U.S. Senator
from Hawaii
during the late 1980s. After this he briefly returned to college before returning to the CNMI to serve as Special Assistant for Management and Budget in the administration of Froilan Tenorio
. He later served as a Special Assistant in the administration of Pedro P. Tenorio before being appointed Executive Director of the Commonwealth Election Commission, a position in which he served until he filed to run for delegate.
representative, an office established by Article V of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands for the purpose of representing the CNMI in the United States capital and performing related official duties established by CNMI law.
In 2008, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, signed into law by President
George W. Bush
, replaced the position of Resident Representative with a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives. The other United States insular areas, Guam
, American Samoa
, the United States Virgin Islands
, and Puerto Rico
, already had nonvoting delegates to Congress. The new official has the power to serve in congressional committees, to introduce bills, and to vote on proposed legislation in committee, but has limited powers on the House floor, lacking the right to vote on legislation on the House floor.
The election of the first delegate was set for November 4, 2008. It was the only contest on the ballot because local elections in the CNMI traditionally occur in odd-numbered years and residents of the CNMI do not have the right to vote in United States presidential elections.
, announced his candidacy for the new office. David Cing, a former member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate
, received the nomination of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands, which is not officially affiliated with the national Democratic Party
. Seven independents also ran for the office, including Sablan. Although Sablan was traditionally affiliated with the Democratic Party, he chose to run as an independent.
In the CNMI's first federal election, fewer than 13,000 people registered to vote in the election, and 79 percent of those actually voted in the election.
During the campaign, Sablan said that as delegate, he would seek to bring more federal funding for education, more federal funding for healthcare, and federal funding for a more productive search for effective alternative energy sources to the CNMI. He also said that as delegate he will introduce and pursue passage of submerged lands legislation that would give the CNMI economic rights and regulation for submerged lands and waters out 200 miles from the islands. He also supports federal funding for a United States Coast Guard
station in the CNMI, although one already exists in neighboring Guam.
Sablan was elected the CNMI's first delegate to the House of Representatives on November 4, 2008, receiving 2,474 votes, or 23% of the vote. He defeated Tenorio, who received 20%, by only 357 votes. Other close competitors included fellow independents John Gonzales, who received 18.73% of the vote, and Juan Lizama, who received 17.34%.
, including Governor Benigno Fitial and his wife, First Lady Josie Fitial
, as well as the outgoing CNMI Resident Representative in Washington, Pete Tenorio, whom Sablan defeated in the 2008 election.
On February 10, 2009, Sablan introduced submerged lands legislation which would give the CNMI "the same benefits in its submerged lands as Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have in their submerged lands." The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 416-0 on July 15, 2009. The bill must now be considered by the United States Senate
's Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
.
Sablan has also introduced a bill which would provide for the establishment of Job Corps
centers in U.S. territories and a bill which would authorize college tuition grants of up to $15,000 per year to graduates of CNMI high schools. The latter bill would also allow CNMI students to pay "in-state tuition" at any public college or university in the United States. Both bills are pending before the House Committee on Education and Labor.
As delegate, Sablan has sought and often secured earmarks, energy grants, and other federal funding for projects in the CNMI. Much of this funding has come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
. The ARRA did not include the CNMI in a 13.86% across-the-board increase in food stamp benefits nationally, but Sablan successfully lobbied Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack
to reprogram $1.459 million to give the Northern Marianas the same 13.86% increase as the rest of the country.
According to a report released by AOL
News in July 2010, by the end of June 2010 (9 months into the US Government's fiscal year
), Sablan had spent more money from his Members Representational Allowances on food than any other congressman with $23,457. Sablan maintained that the amount was used to refund staffers for various travel costs.
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and former election commission
Election management body
An election management body or EMB is the authority in a nation charged with administering the electoral process. EMBs can be independent, mixed, judicial or governmental. The EMB may also be responsible for electoral boundary delimitation...
director. Sablan was elected in 2008 as the first nonvoting delegate
Delegate (United States Congress)
A delegate to Congress is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives who is elected from a U.S. territory and from Washington, D.C. to a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, a non-voting delegate may vote in a House committee of which the delegate is a member...
to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The CNMI is the last insular area of the United States of America to receive a nonvoting delegate to Congress, and is the last jurisdiction of the United States to receive representation in Congress.
Sablan, who was elected as an independent, caucused with the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the House of Representatives. In February 2009, Sablan became a Democrat. He became the only Chamorro member of Congress when he assumed office in January 2009. He easily won reelection on November 2, 2010.
Early life and education
Sablan was born in Saipan, capital of the CNMI, on January 19, 1955. He was the only son of seven children. He grew up in an extended family, spending much time with his grandparents. His father was an employee of Bank of AmericaBank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
. His uncle was the mayor of Saipan.
At the age of eleven, Sablan began boarding at Xavier High School, a Jesuit school in Chuuk
Chuuk
Chuuk — formerly Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus — is an island group in the south western part of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia , along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap. Chuuk is the most populous of the FSM's...
in the Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
, then administered by the United States. He then returned to Saipan, where he graduated from Marianas High School
Marianas High School
Marianas High School is a public high school located on Saipan in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands . It is one of five high schools operated by the CNMI Public School System, and the largest of three public high schools serving the island of Saipan.Built in 1969, the...
. At the age of sixteen, Sablan began attending the University of Guam
University of Guam
University of Guam is a four-year land-grant institution, located in the village of Mangilao on the island of Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean...
, then transferring to the University of California at Berkeley. However, he dropped out of college when his father lost his job. Upon returning to Saipan, Sablan married and then had three children. He later attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
from 1989 until 1990, but did not graduate.
Sablan is married to Andrea, a Filipino American
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
, and has six children and five grandchildren.
Early political career
Sablan was elected two terms in the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth LegislatureNorthern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature
The Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature is the territorial legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The legislative branch of the territory is bicameral, consisting of a 20-member lower House of Representatives, and an upper house Senate with nine...
in the from 1982 until 1986. He served in the legislature as a Democrat
Democratic Party (Northern Mariana Islands)
The Democratic Party is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is not officially affiliated with the United States' national Democratic Party....
. Sablan was selected as a special representative to hold talks with the United States Assistant Secretary of the Interior to negotiate federal assistance for the CNMI during his tenure in office.
He retired from the Commonwealth Legislature to become Special Assistant to Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...
, a U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
during the late 1980s. After this he briefly returned to college before returning to the CNMI to serve as Special Assistant for Management and Budget in the administration of Froilan Tenorio
Froilan Tenorio
Froilan Cruz Tenorio was the fourth elected Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Elected in 1993, he served one term, leaving office in 1998...
. He later served as a Special Assistant in the administration of Pedro P. Tenorio before being appointed Executive Director of the Commonwealth Election Commission, a position in which he served until he filed to run for delegate.
Background
For thirty years, since 1978, the citizens of the CNMI elected a Resident Representative, commonly known as WashingtonWashington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
representative, an office established by Article V of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands for the purpose of representing the CNMI in the United States capital and performing related official duties established by CNMI law.
In 2008, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, signed into law by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, replaced the position of Resident Representative with a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives. The other United States insular areas, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, already had nonvoting delegates to Congress. The new official has the power to serve in congressional committees, to introduce bills, and to vote on proposed legislation in committee, but has limited powers on the House floor, lacking the right to vote on legislation on the House floor.
The election of the first delegate was set for November 4, 2008. It was the only contest on the ballot because local elections in the CNMI traditionally occur in odd-numbered years and residents of the CNMI do not have the right to vote in United States presidential elections.
2008 election
Sitting Resident Representative Pedro A. Tenorio, a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, announced his candidacy for the new office. David Cing, a former member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate
Northern Mariana Islands Senate
The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts , each a multi-member constituency with three senators.In the November 2007 elections, the three senators up...
, received the nomination of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands, which is not officially affiliated with the national Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Seven independents also ran for the office, including Sablan. Although Sablan was traditionally affiliated with the Democratic Party, he chose to run as an independent.
In the CNMI's first federal election, fewer than 13,000 people registered to vote in the election, and 79 percent of those actually voted in the election.
During the campaign, Sablan said that as delegate, he would seek to bring more federal funding for education, more federal funding for healthcare, and federal funding for a more productive search for effective alternative energy sources to the CNMI. He also said that as delegate he will introduce and pursue passage of submerged lands legislation that would give the CNMI economic rights and regulation for submerged lands and waters out 200 miles from the islands. He also supports federal funding for a United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
station in the CNMI, although one already exists in neighboring Guam.
Sablan was elected the CNMI's first delegate to the House of Representatives on November 4, 2008, receiving 2,474 votes, or 23% of the vote. He defeated Tenorio, who received 20%, by only 357 votes. Other close competitors included fellow independents John Gonzales, who received 18.73% of the vote, and Juan Lizama, who received 17.34%.
Service in the House of Representatives
Sablan assumed office on January 3, 2009 but was sworn-in on January 6, and his term will be two years in length. Sablan decided to caucus with the Democratic Party. Several dignitaries from the Northern Mariana Islands attended Sablan's swearing-in-ceremony by House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
, including Governor Benigno Fitial and his wife, First Lady Josie Fitial
Josie Fitial
Josepina "Josie" Padiermos Fitial is the current First Lady of the Northern Mariana Islands and the wife of Governor Benigno Fitial...
, as well as the outgoing CNMI Resident Representative in Washington, Pete Tenorio, whom Sablan defeated in the 2008 election.
On February 10, 2009, Sablan introduced submerged lands legislation which would give the CNMI "the same benefits in its submerged lands as Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have in their submerged lands." The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 416-0 on July 15, 2009. The bill must now be considered by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
's Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and nuclear waste policy, territorial policy, native Hawaiian matters, and public lands....
.
Sablan has also introduced a bill which would provide for the establishment of Job Corps
Job Corps
Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge education and vocational training to youth ages 16 to 24.-Mission and purpose:...
centers in U.S. territories and a bill which would authorize college tuition grants of up to $15,000 per year to graduates of CNMI high schools. The latter bill would also allow CNMI students to pay "in-state tuition" at any public college or university in the United States. Both bills are pending before the House Committee on Education and Labor.
As delegate, Sablan has sought and often secured earmarks, energy grants, and other federal funding for projects in the CNMI. Much of this funding has come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
. The ARRA did not include the CNMI in a 13.86% across-the-board increase in food stamp benefits nationally, but Sablan successfully lobbied Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
to reprogram $1.459 million to give the Northern Marianas the same 13.86% increase as the rest of the country.
According to a report released by AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
News in July 2010, by the end of June 2010 (9 months into the US Government's fiscal year
United States budget process
The process of creating the budget for the United States government is known as the budget process. The framework used by Congress to formulate the budget was established by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, and by other budget...
), Sablan had spent more money from his Members Representational Allowances on food than any other congressman with $23,457. Sablan maintained that the amount was used to refund staffers for various travel costs.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AgricultureUnited States House Committee on AgricultureThe U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
- Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
- Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral ResourcesUnited States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral ResourcesThe United States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources is one of the five subcommittees within the House Natural Resources Committee-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:*...
- Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
- Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
Caucus memberships
- American Citizens Abroad Caucus
- Congressional Asian Pacific American CaucusCongressional Asian Pacific American CaucusThe Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus founded on May 16, 1994, by former Congressman Norman Mineta, is a bicameral caucus consisting of members of the United States Congress who have a strong interest in promoting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders issues and advocating the concerns of...
- Congressional Hispanic CaucusCongressional Hispanic CaucusThe Congressional Hispanic Caucus comprises 21 Democratic members of the United States Congress most of whom are of Hispanic origin. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States and Puerto Rico...
- Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- National Marine Sanctuary Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
External links
- Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan official U.S. House website