Delegate bill finally introduced in Congress

A bill that would grant the CNMI Delegate status in the U.S. Congress has finally been introduced at the U.S. House of Representatives.

CNMI Resident Rep. Pete A. Tenorio, accompanied by Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo, announced the introduction of the long-awaited Delegate bill at a reception Thursday evening during the Department of the Interior’s Business Opportunities Conference CNMI.

“This is fantastic news,” said Tenorio when notified. “It [Delegate bill] has been the topic of many conversations all day, and appropriate also, because having a Delegate should make the CNMI more appealing to investors.”

The CNMI is the only U.S. territory without representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

If enacted into law, H.R. 5135 would provide for the first election of a CNMI Delegate in the federal general election in 2006.

H.R. 5135 was introduced late in the day Thursday by House Resources Committee chair Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) and ranking member Nick J. Rahall (D-WV).

This follows a congressional delegation visit to the CNMI in January and an oversight hearing held in February this year that examined the potential for a Delegate in Congress for the CNMI.

Testifying at the hearing were Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Interior David Cohen, Gov. Juan N. Babauta, Senate President Joaquin Adriano, and Tenorio.

Tenorio, Bordallo, Pombo, and Rahall have worked hard to build bi-partisan support and consensus for a CNMI Delegate.

Besides Bordallo, other co-sponsors of the bill include Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Don Young (R-AK), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Ed Case (D-HI), Dan Burton (R-IN), Tom Cole (R-OK), and Dennis Rehberg (R-MT).

“I commend chairman Pombo and ranking member Rahall for their leadership on this longstanding issue. Resident Representative Pete Tenorio has worked very hard to make his case to ensure that the CNMI is treated no differently from other U.S. territories when it comes to having a voice in Congress,” Bordallo said. “The U.S. citizens who call CNMI home deserve a member in Congress just like every other American.”

“We have worked very hard to get to this point,” said Tenorio, “and there is a long way to go before it becomes law. This is one of the most important issues that faces the CNMI today.”

A Delegate was planned for in the CNMI’s Covenant with the United States and is covered in the CNMI’s Constitution, but has never been approved by the U.S. Congress. Legislation to provide for a CNMI Delegate has been introduced in several consecutive Congresses, with the first bill sponsored by former Guam Delegate Robert Underwood (D-GU, 1993-2002) in 1994. In the 104th Congress, Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA), then chair of the House Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, also introduced similar legislation.