Teno hoping for a deal on 3-yr. limit stay law

Governor Pedro P. Tenorio on Friday expressed optimism the Senate and the House of Representatives will reach a compromise agreement that will put to rest controversies surrounding the three-year stay limit law.

Mr. Tenorio said legislators should recognize the local economy’s heavy dependence on nonresident workers, pointing out that an exodus will only aggravate economic conditions in the CNMI.

However, the governor also mentioned the need to start preparing local workforce for private sector jobs since the Northern Marianas cannot forever rely on foreign manpower.

Mr. Tenorio said a compromise agreement between both chambers of the legislature should be necessary to prepare a skilled local pool of workers without hurting revitalization efforts for the Northern Marianas economy.

Mr. Tenorio has been very critical of any proposal to impose restrictions on the stay of nonresidents on the islands, amid the absence of sufficient local workers to man government and business operations.

The governor reiterated the CNMI would still have to depend on nonresident workers in major industries. During the time the measure was being deliberated on in the Legislature, he hinted indication that the measure could not totally be acceptable to the administration.

However, the local chief executive maintained that the business sector should start looking at the available local manpower to fill in vacancies in their companies to at least lessen the Commonwealth’s dependence on foreign workers.

Public Law 11-69 obligates nonresident workers to exit and remain outside the Commonwealth for six months after three consecutive years of stay in the islands before they are allowed to seek re-employment.

The three-year stay limit applies to all nonresident workers in the CNMI, except for those holding professional or executive positions earning an annual salary of more than $30,000.

The bill defined professional as those who receive more than $30,000 in annual compensation; those who are in fields requiring advanced training or original or creative work which is artistic; those who are engaged in teaching, dental, nursing and other medical professions

Under the law, a nonresident worker shall not be permitted to remain in the CNMI for more than three consecutive years without exiting the Commonwealth and remain off island for six months and until such time the worker has secured employment in the Northern Marianas.

Since the three-year countdown started in March 1999, the CNMI may see exodus of nonresidents beginning next year to the detriment of the local economy as projected by business leaders and economic experts.

This grim projection drove business owners to press the Legislature to move towards the repeal of the three-year stay limit on nonresidents.

The Commonwealth economy, at its present stage, is not yet ready to witness an exodus of skilled workers and professionals, due to the absence of enough local manpower to fill in the positions that may be left vacant by nonresident workers.