Young to hold oversight hearing • US senator says proposed reforms in CNMI gain support from Democrats

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has said he was pleased that some members of the Democratic leadership are now supporting proposed reforms in the Mariana Islands regarding labor and safety laws on the American islands in the Western Pacific.

Young, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Resources which has jurisdiction over U.S. territories, informed the Committee’s Ranking Democrat, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), that the Committee will be conducting an oversight hearing on the issue later this year.

In a May 25th letter to Miller, Young stated that the Committee will focus on “the current facts and conditions while considering the actions of both the local and federal governments and the views of workers, employers and residents” of the islands.

“Congressman Miller has publicly stated his support for new reforms and I’m pleased he’s joining the Committee leadership in our continuing effort,” Young said. “One of the very first hearings our Committee conducted under the new Republican leadership in January 1995 was on legislation to correct these problems.

Unfortunately, Rep. Elton Gallegly’s (R-CA) legislation (H.R. 601) addressing the problems in the Marianas was openly opposed by the Clinton Administration and lacked the support of the House Democratic leadership – both in January 1995 and in June 1996.

Democrats failed to address the issue “In contrast, during the 103rd Congress when the Democrats controlled the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and the White House – in addition to having a Democrat Governor in the Marianas – no legislative action was proposed by the Democrats to address these human rights and labor abuses,” Young said.

“A cynic might believe the adamant Democratic opposition to the Gallegly bill was related to the fact that the Marianas had a Democratic Governor at that time,” according to Young.

In February, Young led a Congressional delegation on a tour of the Mariana Islands and other U.S. territories in the Pacific. This was the first time any Chairman of the Resources Committee had toured the region in more than 10 years.

“Unfortunately, except for territorial delegates, not a single Democrat Congressman from the Committee joined the delegation on our tour of the Mariana Islands,” Young said.

Amidst the difficulty that we had to endure in the cooled relationship between the NMI and the federal government, we take time off this Memorial Day to remember our fallen brothers and sisters, including veterans who have fought in foreign wars in defense of freedom and American Democracy, he said.

Young said a major issue in the effort to reform labor and safety abuses will be to address the Clinton Administration’s past and current failure to fully prosecute violations of and to enforce Federal wage and labor, safety, and equal employment opportunity laws in the CNMI.

“Working together with the Administration, Congress and the local Marianas government, it’s my hope we can fashion solutions to address questions that have been raised about human rights and trade issues,” Young said. “Solutions should be based on factual problems and should directly address the underlying problems, without jeopardizing the economy and local self-government.

“I am continuing to work with the new Republican Governor and Legislature in the Marianas to find local solutions to local problems.

“Hopefully, through a bipartisan effort we can finally achieve the important reforms we initiated more than four years ago – finally with the help of the Democrats,” he said.