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Torres extends full support for CW cap increase
Introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives last week, Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres expressed his full support for Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan’s bill to increase the number of Commonwealth-only permits for fiscal year 2017 to 15,000.
“We continue to explore all avenues to mitigate this issue and fully support critical legislation such as H.R. 6401 to provide short-term relief from the labor shortage facing the Commonwealth which will threaten our growing economy and public health,” Torres said.
Referencing the latest report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis released last week, the Commonwealth economy continues to grow for the fourth consecutive year.
“A growing economy needs a qualified workforce, and while there are now more U.S. workers than foreign workers in the Northern Marianas for the first time in decades, there are still not enough workers to meet the labor demand. This legislation provided by Sablan (Ind-MP) for a temporary increase in the number Commonwealth-only transitional workers will help small businesses and new developments retain the workers needed to maintain operations and sustain our economy,” Torres added.
Reiterating the complications of the current labor shortage, Torres noted that the Commonwealth’s only hospital would lose critical staff that includes 34 staff nurses, two infection control nurses, a clinical laboratory scientist and specialists in mammography and ultrasonography.
“H.R. 6401 seeks to increase the CW worker fee which will provide additional funding for building a qualified U.S. workforce, which still remains a priority in this administration. Our efforts to recruit, educate, and train U.S. workers to establish a permanent pool to fill jobs continues as we move toward a very time-sensitive deadline. I commend [Sablan] for introducing this legislation and anticipate the decision of Congress during their session this week,” Torres said. (Office of the Governor)
