House Small Business Committee to Visit Saipan

A Congressional Delegation (CODEL) comprised of U.S. House lawmakers on the Committee on Small Businesses is scheduled to visit Saipan at the end of August, according to CNMI Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds.

King-Hinds told Marianas Press that it is a bipartisan group who is “coming out to have meetings and put eyes on the ground.” She said 11 Members of Congress will be participating, including the chair Rep. Roger Williams from Texas, a Republican, and the Ranking Member, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez from New York, a Democrat.

“With the Department of Defense activities, there are a lot of conversations within the SBA to kind of streamline some of these procurement processes and tailor it to ensure that rural communities are protected as far as these contracting opportunities,” King-Hinds said.

She explained that the CODEL will head to Tinian directly from Guam where they will spend a few hours before coming to Saipan to engage with local businesses and government officials.

“We’re hoping that nothing changes and that it happens and we can start tackling some of these issues, because all too often, it seems like we waste a lot of time writing letters to each other and, frankly, I am over it. I am over the writing letters. I want some action,” she told Marianas Press.