Pete A. pushes for interagency agreements on federalization

In recent letters sent to the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Labor and Interior, CNMI Resident Representative Pete A. Tenorio requested that agreements mandated by Public Law 110-229 and emphasized by the recent GAO study on the law be developed as soon as possible.

Tenorio stated in the letters that after carefully reviewing the GAO study, titled Managing Potential Economic Impact of Applying U.S. Immigration Law Requires Coordinated Federal Decisions and Additional Data, “it is evident that an interagency process to coordinate decisions relating to the implementation of Public Law 110-229 must be established by the departments of Homeland Security, Labor, and Interior.”

“The law is very clear, not only are the agreements mandatory but they are to be utilized to develop procedures to ensure that Commonwealth employers have access to adequate labor, and that tourists, students, retirees, and other visitors have access to the Commonwealth without unnecessary delay or impediment,” said Tenorio.

“Poor coordination, inflexible regulations, or hasty decisions could adversely impact the economy of the CNMI in clear contradiction with the intent of Congress which instructed that the Commonwealth be “given as much flexibility as possible in maintaining existing businesses and other revenue sources, and developing new economic opportunities,” he added in the letter.

Tenorio pointed out that “with the upcoming presidential election, a change of upper level policy makers is guaranteed. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that the interagency agreement called for in the law be created now, otherwise the process will be starting from scratch, and will be delayed until new Departmental Secretaries and their subordinates are confirmed by the Senate next year.” If the agreements are not in place prior to this transitional period, career employees may not be able to make progress or may lose sight of the intent of the law, explained Tenorio.

Tenorio also suggested that the Governor be provided a significant role in the agreements since the law requires the various agencies to consult with the Governor on many of the important decisions that will need to be made.

“It is important that the Governor play a vital role in the implementation of this law, and not just during the development of the regulations but also during the entire transition period and all of its extensions,” said Tenorio. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]