CNMI to seek changes in takeover proposal

Calling Sen. Frank Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) federal takeover proposal “more flexible,” Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday said he would ask for changes in the pending legislation during an oversight hearing next month by the U.S. Senate Energy and Resources Committee.

He also expressed hope the nation’s lawmakers would consider the state of the island’s economy when they deliberate on the bipartisan measure introduced in May that would apply federal immigration laws in the Northern Marianas.

Murkowski, chairman of the Senate committee dealing with island issues, has set the hearing on July 27 in Washington D.C. to review the measure, which is one of seven federal takeover bills now pending in Congress.

The same panel conducted an earlier inquiry in March last year which was attended by the governor and members of the Legislature as well as representatives of the private sector.

According to Tenorio, he will travel to Capitol Hill to attend the hearing and his government is currently preparing their testimony to be presented to the panel.

“We will be coming out with some of our analysis of the bill,” he told reporters. “We will basically ask members of the U.S. Senate to look at the bill so that it will not impact the CNMI as hard especially now that our economy is bad.”

The governor disclosed that the Commonwealth would press amendment to a provision in the bill, but he declined to give specific details. It is “more flexible in a way, but there’s one provision that we are considering if the chairman will reconsider,” Tenorio added.

Put forward last month by Murkowski and Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the measure seeks full extension of the Immigration and Nationality Act to the CNMI, but eased provisions that may rock the troubled island economy largely dependent on tourism and garment manufacturing.

U.S. legislators hope the move will help address the growing number of guest workers in the Commonwealth who have reportedly outnumbered U.S. citizens, saying this leaves no other alternative to the island’s conditions.

Tenorio previously has considered the proposal “more friendly” than other measures as it will not seek application of U.S. minimum wage rate or federal customs standards here.

“Our concern is to make sure that any legislation that will affect the CNMI… will take economic growth into consideration because we are over 8,000 miles away from continental U.S.,” the governor said.

In a separate interview, House Speaker Diego T. Benavente said they are now consolidating the reports highlighting reforms undertaken by the island government in the past two years, which they hope to present during the hearing.

Island leaders have vowed to oppose any legislation that would take away local control over immigration and labor policies, saying these are rights granted under the Covenant.

The Murkowski bill joins the growing list of proposals in Congress that seeks to apply federal immigration, customs and minimum wage laws in the Northern Marianas amid discontent on the way these Commonwealth functions are being handled by local officials.