Legislature pledges to continue reforms

Leaders of the CNMI Legislature have vowed to continue reforms next year to retain local control of labor and immigration standards which have been under threat from a takeover move by the U.S. federal government.

House Speaker Diego T. Benavente said reforms will have to be implemented in both areas, especially with the changing times as a result of the economic conditions on the island.

“When things start changing around again, when the economy starts picking up, it would call for a change whether it is immigration law or commerce law,” he said in an interview.

Senate President Paul A. Manglona echoed the concerns of some local legislators to press ahead with necessary changes to existing regulations to address the federal threat.

“We have to continue those reforms because we have established the importance of having to keep control of our immigration system,” he explained. “We have to continue what we are doing.”

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed several measures during the past few months aimed at fending off takeover plan by Washington which has raised concern over alleged failure by the CNMI to curb the number of alien worker population on the island.

Among these reform legislation is the moratorium on the hiring of foreign manpower which was put in place in April after CNMI leaders testified before an oversight hearing at the U.S. Senate.

Three proposals are currently pending in the Congress which seek to apply federal laws on immigration and minimum wage in the commonwealth, restrict use of “Made in USA” label on locally-manufactures garment products and limit preferential treatment on CNMI goods.

Other laws implemented in the past year included establishment of funds for the deportation of illegal nonresident workers and the creation of wage review body to tackle the minimum wage issue as well as limited immunity grant for overstaying foreigners on the island.

According to Manglona, these reform measures are necessary to foster a working relationship with Washington, particularly with the Congress and the Clinton administration which is bent on pushing takeover legislation.

“We know the position of the Clinton administration and basically our job is to work with the U.S. Congress to have a positive working relationship with them,” he said.

While several bills aimed to improve local immigration and labor policies are now pending at the CNMI Legislature, both leaders acknowledged the need to pass them throughout 1999.

If the island economy improves, “changes will be inevitable to happen and they are sure to happen,” Benavente pointed out.