Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan

Who is Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan?

Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, widely known as Kilili Sablan, is a Chamorro politician from the Northern Mariana Islands who has served as the Commonwealth's non-voting Delegate to the United States House of Representatives since January 2009, the first person to hold that federal office. The position was created after Congress passed the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which extended U.S. federal immigration law to the CNMI and, as part of that broader transition, granted the Commonwealth a seat in the House comparable to those held by Guam, American Samoa, and other U.S. territories. Before entering federal office, Sablan built a long career in CNMI territorial politics, serving multiple terms in the Commonwealth's bicameral legislature, including as President of the CNMI Senate. In Washington, he has run as an independent while caucusing with the Democratic Party, focusing much of his legislative work on labor protections, immigration policy affecting CNMI's guest workers, healthcare access, and federal funding for the islands' infrastructure and economic recovery after major typhoons. His repeated re-election has made him one of the longest-serving officials in CNMI political history.

Sources: U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, biographical record for Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan · Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, Public Law 110-229 · Wikipedia, "Gregorio Sablan" biographical entry