CNMI to pursue 902 talks with next U.S. leaders

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has vowed to pursue consultation talks with the next administration of the United States government under the Covenant Section 902 to address problematic bilateral relations.

At the same time, he said his administration will continue to reform local labor and immigration to improve relations with U.S. lawmakers and officials.

These commitments are part of the 1999 State of the Commonwealth report which he submitted to the Legislature to inform them of what his administration has been doing the past year.

According to Mr. Tenorio, his administration has worked hard to address federal issues, even appearing twice in 1999 before the U.S. Congress to lobby against attempts to federalize immigration and minimum wage standards on the islands.

Two recent reports released by the General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, had helped the CNMI gain understanding from Washington about the local situation, the local chief executive said.

“Although there have been proposals in the U.S. Congress to change our standing under the Covenant, we will continue to implement labor and immigration reforms,” he wrote in his report.

“We believe we can balance these reforms with the needs of the business community,” added Mr. Tenorio.

The Covenant, which established the political relations between the Northern Marianas and the United States and gave local control over immigration and minimum wage, has come under close scrutiny in Washington D.C.

President Clinton and the Democrats in Congress are pushing for federal takeover of these functions due to alleged failure by the CNMI to curb the number of foreign workers and stem labor abuses here.

In an effort to thwart these attempts, the Tenorio administration has implemented several reform measures, including ban on hiring of guest workers for several businesses as well as three-year stay limit on nonresidents.

In 1999, Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan led island leaders in a round-table discussion of a host of federal issues with Edward Cohen, President Clinton’s special representative, as provided under the 902 provision of Covenant.

Although the talks failed to bridge differences on the crucial issues, Mr. Tenorio said he is hoping to renew the discussion once a new president assumes office in the White House.

We believe that “this is a valuable tool, guaranteed in the Covenant to communicate with the federal government on issues of mutual concern,” he explained in the report.

“We are looking forward to working with the next administration in Washington D.C. on a variety of… issues,” added the governor.