Federalization impact on Tinian to be tackled

The impact of a federal immigration system on the Tinian gaming industry and the exclusion of Chinese and Russian tourists from the visa waiver program will be among the issues to be discussed by the Tinian Chamber of Commerce after the election of its officers on Friday.

Tinian’s gaming industry relies heavily on Chinese tourists, who will be required to secure a U.S. visa before entering the CNMI beginning June 1 unless the transition to a federal immigration system is delayed.

Don A. Farrell, last past president of the Tinian Chamber of Commerce, yesterday said when the supposed CNMI economic impact study was being done, no one took the time to even visit Tinian, as well as Rota.

“It seems as if the development of the casino industry on Tinian isn’t even a consideration, when it could be producing millions of dollars in new revenues for the general fund,” he told Saipan Tribune.

He added that they will also be discussing “how to communicate our concerns to the right people.”

The Tinian Chamber of Commerce, which has been inactive since 2002, will have its election of 2009 officers on Friday, Feb. 20, starting at 10:30am in the Tinian Banquet Room of the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino.

Farrell encourages all members to attend the Friday meeting.

After years of inactivity, members of the business group want to “rejuvenate” the Chamber, leading to the announcement of a meeting, he said.

Farrell said only member businesses that have paid the minimum one-month due of $10 will be eligible to vote in the election. He said regardless of the size of the business, only one vote is allowed for each federal tax identification number. Applications for membership will be available at the door.

“After the election of officers, we will be discussing how the new federal regulations and the change in Chinese and Russian visa waivers will affect the Tinian gaming industry,” Farrell added.

Besides the election and federalization discussion, other items likely to be tackled are the “lingering problems with the installation of the instrument landing system, the airport fuel farm, and the dump relocation that have not been resolved,” said Farrell.

Also on the agenda are updates on Chamber administrative issues, including taxes, business license, corporate registrar filings, new annual report filing and updating of signatures on bank accounts for new members, according to Philip Mendiola-Long of Bridge Investment Group and also a former president of the Tinian Chamber of Commerce.