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Periodic exits for alien workers revived
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Posted on Dec 13 2006
The House minority bloc is pushing for legislation that would require foreign workers to exit the Commonwealth after three years of continuous employment here.
Rep. Manuel A. Tenorio, along with four other lawmakers, has authored House Bill 15-167 to set a limit of three years of consecutive employment in the CNMI for nonresident workers.
The proposed legislation is up for discussion in today’s House session.
If enacted, H.B. 15-167 would reinstate the exit requirement previously provided for by Public Law 11-69, which has been repealed by P.L. 12-59.
The proposal is to prohibit nonresidents from working in the Commonwealth for more than three years without exiting and remaining outside the CNMI for a period of not less than six months.
Professional or executive employees, or those who are earning at least $30,000 a year or $14.42 an hour, would be exempted.
The proposed law comes as another effort to reduce the private sector’s reliance on nonresident workforce and to encourage local hiring.
“[T]he number of nonresident workers in the CNMI continue to exceed the number of indigenous and other local residents and…a significant number of these nonresident workers have resided in the Commonwealth for more than three consecutive years, without the benefit and protection of legislative representation in the Legislature, despite the fact that these nonresident workers and their immediate relatives constitute the majority of the Commonwealth population,” the minority bloc said.
“It is in the best interest of the Commonwealth government, the employers, and the nonresident workers, to set a limit of three years of consecutive employment in the Commonwealth for nonresident workers, except for those holding professional or executive positions, earning an annual salary of $30,000 or more,” the lawmakers added.
