Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio is looking to U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman to help get the CNMI's concerns across when the federal wage hike bills go into conference committee.
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have passed two bills boosting national minimum wage and bringing the CNMI rate to federal level.
One is H.R. 2, or the proposed Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. The other is H.R. 1591, the Iraq war supplemental spending bill, which also includes the Senate-approved version of the wage bill.
The congressional chambers have yet to agree on a final version of either bill. A conference committee of senators and representatives is expected to resolve differences in the versions of the bill each house approved.
“The conference committee will have to address both bills, although I think the appropriation bill takes precedence [to the other bill] now,” Tenorio said.
He reported that Bingaman and Sen. Daniel Akaka already went on record in the Senate last week raising the concerns that the CNMI, as well as American Samoa, have regarding wage federalization.
“If there is conference committee on the wage bills, hopefully Chairman Bingaman will be included in that so he can be our champion to push our issues,” Tenorio said.
Bingaman is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Akaka is one of the members. Their committee has held an oversight hearing on the CNMI economic situation and several consultations with CNMI government and business officials in light of a proposal to extend federal immigration laws to the Commonwealth.
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