CNMI to submit recommendations to Congress

The government will submit within two weeks specific recommendations on the legislation extending federal immigration laws to the Northern Marianas for consideration by the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday said he is working with his staff to come up with the comments in response to a request from Chairman Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) during the September 14 hearing in Washington D.C.

But the governor, who arrived the other day from the U.S. capital after appearing before the panel as well as the House Resources Committee in a separate hearing, declined to talk to reporters about his trip.

Asked whether the CNMI presented a strong position against the federal takeover proposal, Tenorio said: “I don’t want to comment on that, let (the committee) make that decision.”

He met yesterday morning with Labor and Immigration Sec. Mark Zachares, who was also part of the official delegation to D.C., but there was no details about their discussion.

Although the forthcoming recommendations would respond to provisions of the measure sponsored by Murkowski and two other Democratic members of the committee, House Speaker Diego T. Benavente said the CNMI’s position would remain.

“I hope the position we will be providing to the chairman will be that the CNMI leadership still feels that it’s important for us to maintain control of immigration and that we are going to list the reasons for the need to maintain (such authority),” he said in a separate interview.

The panel, which deals with island issues like its House counterpart, is expected to release a report on the status of the legislation based on the comments made by both CNMI and federal official during the hearing.

“With or without our inputs to the bill, it will still be passed by the committee,” Benavente explained. “Because of that reason, we will probably be submitting recommendations to the bill.”

He assured, however, that these suggestions would not “jeopardize” opposition by the Commonwealth on any takeover proposal.

The island government also has to continue putting in place labor and immigration reforms in order to convince Washington, especially its allies in Congress, that it is serious in improving conditions here.

“These are things that are necessary for us to do, more follow-up to show that what we have done is making progress,” said Benavente.

The Speaker was among the CNMI officials and business leaders who testified before the House Resources Committee hearing conducted by Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) on Sept. 16.

A strong supporter of the Commonwealth, Young promised the CNMI delegation that he would not back any federal takeover move, noting that reforms have made headway here.

Island leaders have consistently opposed legislation that will strip CNMI powers over local immigration, minimum wage and customs, citing adverse impact on the economy and potential return to dependency on heavy federal subsidies.

The Clinton Administration has charged they have failed to curb the influx of alien workers and stem labor abuses on the island to justify its attempt to wrestle control of these functions.