House to review changes to Omnibus bill

The Omnibus Labor and Business Reform Act may go through another round of review in the House of Representatives to consider amendments made by the Senate, according to acting Speaker Oscar M. Babauta.

He also raised the possibility of a bicameral conference if the lower house rejects the changes to HB 12-39 as he stressed the need to gauge its impact to the business community.

“If we are convinced that [business leaders] are very content, we will proceed with the passage and we’ll handle the other reform measures that were omitted by the Senate,” Mr. Babauta told reporters in an interview yesterday.

Offered by Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, the measure aims to help businesses cope with declining revenues by easing government restrictions imposed on the private sector, such as hiring ban and cap on the number of nonresident workers.

The proposal was cleared by the Senate late last month after amending several provisions to suit concerns of the members and the executive branch.

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, chair of the Resources, Economic, Development and Programs Committee, maintained their version is a result of a compromise hammered out with all the parties.

Noting that he hastened review of the bill, the senator urged the House to immediately act on it while appealing for support from the business sector. The Saipan Chamber of Commerce and the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association have earlier lauded the Senate for passing the measure.

“I have postponed some of my prior schedules and official trips to make sure that we pass the Omnibus,” he said. “I just hope that the business community will be visible in pushing the bill in the House.”

According to Mr. Babauta, they have yet to receive official transmittal of the Senate, although the House leadership has prioritized the bill for discussion later this week when Mr. Fitial arrives from off-island trip.

The House Commerce and Tourism Committee will also be tasked to look into the amendments to come up with a report for consideration by the full chamber.

“We will be discussing that… whether or not we have to reassess again the impact of the amendments, primarily to the business community,” said Mr. Babauta.

“We might probably have sit-in meeting with business leaders. If this is fine, then we’ll go ahead and proceed with the passage of the Senate amendments. If not, we may probably reject [them] and go into bicameral conference,” he added.