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Bush signs (CNMI) federalization bill
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| Contributor | Scott³ |
| Last Edited | Scott³ May 12, 2008 12:34pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Saipan Tribune |
| News Date | Saturday, May 10, 2008 06:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Saipan Tribune.
An excerpt...
"President George W. Bush has signed into law the bill applying federal immigration law to the Northern Marianas and granting the Commonwealth a non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The clock now starts ticking on the five federal agencies tasked to draft the regulations implementing the immigration “federalization” law. Under the new law, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security must work with the State Secretary, the Attorney General, the Labor Secretary, and the Interior Secretary to establish the transition program, which will be in effect from June 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2014.
Between now and June next year, local labor and immigration laws still apply to the CNMI. The NMI Labor Department, however, has already issued emergency regulations that cap the number of alien workers in the CNMI at 22,417. This means that the CNMI government will not allow an increase in the total number of alien workers who are present in the CNMI, effective immediately.
The new law also calls for a November 2008 election for the CNMI's first delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial called the enactment of the federalization bill “the end of an era for the people and government” of the Commonwealth. He said that local immigration and labor controls helped transform the CNMI economy during the 1980s and 1990s, and raised the standard of living for local and foreign workers alike.
“I had hoped to continue using these economic tools to orchestrate an economic recovery for the CNMI, and I deeply regret that recently passed legislation may impede our local government's ability to orchestrate an economic recovery based on sound economic incentives and competitive free market policies,” said the governor.
He said he will continue to consult with the Legislature, the private sector, and other interested stakeholders about the government's options in dealing with federalization." |
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