Bicameral body to review repeal of 3-yr. limit law

The Legislature’s bicameral committee is set to embark on a tedious review of the proposed measure aimed at repealing the three-year stay limit on nonresident workers in the Commonwealth.

Senators will begin talks with their House counterparts today in hopes to negotiate a compromise agreement that will address concerns raised by businessmen on the dilemma of keeping CNMI’s guest workers beyond the prescribed three years under Public Law 11-69.

Senate Floor Leader Pete Reyes, who heads the senate conferees, said the upper chamber is willing to enter into a compromise agreement with the House citing the measure’s importance to keep businesses operational.

At the same time, Mr. Reyes said a proposal that seeks to give long time nonresident workers a permanent residency status should be carefully evaluated before the Legislature even considers deliberating about it on the floor.

The government stands to face a major immigration problem if the proposal gets carried out since there are hundreds of guest workers who will qualify as permanent residents, he explained.

The senator aired concerns that such a move will affect the CNMI’s political future since those that may qualify to get permanent residency will still not be able to enter mainland US since the Commonwealth government controls its own immigration system.

Speaker Benigno R. Fitial has appointed House Committee on Commerce and Tourism Chair Florencio Guerrero to head the lower chamber’s conference panel that will deliberate on the proposal adopted by the Senate.

Rep. Heinz Hofschneider earlier inquired about better alternatives that may be offered in place of the Senate’s proposal to suspend the stay limit’s implementation by two years.

Mr. Hofschneider said the House can adopt the proposed suspension of the three-year limit law until 2005 and to restructure calls for its total repeal.

But Mr. Fitial said many businesses have been affected by the economy since the slowdown in 1998. More than 1,000 investments have so far closed down and the nonresident stay limit law might add fuel to the problem.

The House voted to reject suspension of the implementation of the stay limit law to enter into a compromise legislative measure.

Mr. Fitial said, “If we continue to play with businesses, how many more business will close down? How many businesses in the CNMI do you think support this bill? We must think of the economy and not what the Senate will think.”

The Senate approved the creation of a task force to study possible effects of the three-year stay limitation law to businesses in the Northern Marianas.

Congressmen believe a more concrete action — one that is long-term in nature and one that will give existing businesses and future investments more security in terms of workers’ availability — is the only answer.