SCC backs revising Labor’s mandate for greater authority

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce applauds the efforts of the CNMI Department of Labor toward streamlining its services and operations. By revising Labor’s mandate to include greater authority, the department stands to significantly improve labor and workforce management within the region, said Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Joe C. Guerrero.

Guerrero made the comments in his letter last Thursday to Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan), where he expressed support for Senate Bill 23-57, which aims to realign the authority and duties of Labor.

“We believe that this is the right step forward to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our Labor Department,” Guerrero said.

Introduced by DeLeon Guerrero, Senate Bill 23-57 aims to clarify and define the duties and authority of Labor, its secretary, and its various divisions or offices.

DeLeon Guerrero stated in the bill that Labor will be better equipped to address current and future labor and employment issues in the Commonwealth by making the changes outlined in the bill.

The Senate president cited Labor’s long history of multiple reorganizations that, according to her, has left its statutory authority and duties unclear and lacking.

Labor was originally established in 1978 pursuant to Public Law 1-8, as the Department of Labor and Commerce. Executive Order 94-3 changed its name to Department of Labor and Immigration.

After the enactment of the federal Consolidated Natural Resources Act, which transferred immigration authority to the federal government, the department was then renamed as Department of Labor.

Overall, such reorganizations have left the department’s statutory authority and duties undefined, said DeLeon Guerrero.

This issue was somewhat addressed by Public Law 15-108 and Labor’s regulations, but these regulations are an insufficient substitute for clear statutory authority, she added.