The Northern Marianas delegate to the US House of Representatives has been chosen to lead the chamber's Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee.
Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan Photo: USDA/Lance Cheung.
Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan was unanimously elected to the position by the Democratic members of the committee.
As chairman, the five-term congressman from the US territory will oversee all national policy dealing with education from infancy through the high school level as well as career and technical education.
This includes early care and education programs such as the Head Start Act and the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, special education, and homeless and migrant education.
Aside from chairmanship of the subcommittee, Mr Sablan was also selected to serve as the vice chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee with specific responsibility for Insular Affairs.
Insular issues were previously delegated to a subcommittee, but the new Democratic majority in Congress has decided policy regarding the Marianas and other insular areas will now be managed by the full committee with Mr Sablan chairing.