Senate asked to reconsider DPW bill

Acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez supports the passage of a bill giving the Department of Public Works “more time” to hire nonresident engineers.

“We did request the Legislature to give us more time so that we can deal with important projects [at DPW]. The House has acted on it but there are concerns at the Senate,” said Villagomez in an interview yesterday afternoon during an event at the Saipan seaport.

He said he understands the sentiment at the Senate but hopes that it would reconsider the matter.

“I hope the Senate acts on it. I don’t want to prolong this situation. I asked the Senate to look into it and they are looking into it,” said Villagomez.

Senate President Joseph M. Mendiola earlier said the upper chamber has no plans to approve House Bill 15-182, which would allow DPW to employ foreign professionals until Sept. 30, 2007.

“We have not entertained that bill, and we don’t have any plans to entertain it,” Mendiola had said of the bill.

He said this sunset deadline extension requests keeps appearing almost every year. He said the department has never made good on its promise to replace the guest workers with U.S. citizens.

If enacted, H.B. 15-182 would apply to one architect, one structural engineer, one electrical engineer, and two civil/highways engineers. These employees augment the department’s resident professional staff, which includes one architect, three civil/highways engineer, and one mechanical engineer.

The Nonresident Workers Act originally gave DPW until Sept. 30, 2002, to employ alien professional workers. The sunset provision has been extended twice—first, up to the end of fiscal year 2005 and then up to the end of this fiscal year.

The latest extension proposal, authored by House Vice Speaker Justo S. Quitugua, passed the House on a unanimous vote last month.

Villagomez said that he has instructed DPW Secretary Jose Demapan to go for short-term contracts to hire certified engineers to fill the gap.

“My instruction is not to disable the system. My instruction is to make sure that thing go on smoothly. If it requires they hire professional engineers [under short term contracts], it must be done so we can continue with the issuance of permits received by DPW,” he said.

He said there are concerns of delay in permit issuance but he said there continues to be a review process.

Villagomez said that, based on the report by Demapan, “there’s not much delay in the review process.”

“My understanding from the secretary is that there has been a backlog but there’s not much of delay. The review process of permits continues. I told him that he should look into a short contract with professional engineers,” Villagomez said.

Five DPW nonresident engineers have been out of job since Sept. 30. They have until Nov. 15 to get rehired or look for outside jobs in the CNMI.

Failure to get employment during the 45-day period would mean departure from the Commonwealth.