By Jude O. Marfil
For Variety

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen, chairwoman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, said the oversight hearing she will conduct on the CNMI aims to find solutions to the commonwealth’s worsening economic problems.
“Clearly, something has to happen — the CNMI is in crisis (and) there have to be some remedies,” said Christensen, D-Virgin Islands, in an interview at her office here in the nation’s capital.
Christensen said she and her subcommittee want to fully understand the economic, social and security conditions of the Northern Marianas before introducing any legislation.
She said they will be “very open” and “supportive of the CNMI,” and will “give a lot of weight” to the testimony of the islands’ resident representative to Washington, D.C., Pete A. Tenorio.
Because there will only be three panelists, subcommittee members will have more time to ask questions. The hearing is expected to last two hours.
The panelists include Tenorio, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs David B. Cohen and U.S. Government Accountability Office’s financial management and assurance director Jeanette Franzel.
The hearing will be held in room 1324 of the Longworth House Office building on April 19, 2007 at 10 a.m. (Friday midnight on Saipan).
The hearing will be webcast live on the committee’s Web site at http://resources committee.house.gov.
“I want to make sure that we understand what has happened and what exists now, so we can see what the solutions might be,” Christensen said.
She said she visited the CNMI in early 1999 as part of a congressional delegation led by then-Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska and chairman of the House Resources Committee.
“I got to visit some of the (garment) factories. I had concerns about the issues. I got to visit the places where (workers) lived and had the chance to talk to them about the difficulties they were having,” Christensen said.
She added she is aware of the “difficulties the CNMI is experiencing now — the closing of the factories, the downturn in tourism and not having a diverse enough economy to be able to survive — they need help.”
While she does not oppose increasing the CNMI’s $3.05 minimum wage, she said it should not be done in a hasty manner.
Christensen said she has been reviewing testimony presented to the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee during its hearing on the CNMI in February.
“I want to see if the (Office of Insular Affairs) is doing enough. I can’t answer that question yet but that’s something that I want to know. I’m sure (Cohen) has some recommendations as to how we can address this crisis,” she said.
Cohen, in a separate interview, said his testimony is likely to be similar to that which he delivered before the Senate committee hearing.
“But I am happy to provide the (House) subcommittee an account of the (902) consultations (with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial) plus an update of what happened. I shall try to answer any questions they may have,” Cohen said.
Christensen said Tenorio’s testimony and response to their inquiries will be given the utmost consideration. “Because (Tenorio) represents the CNMI, we’re going to give a lot of weight to what he has to say; on what he thinks the solutions are. I come from a territory myself. We’re here to advocate for the CNMI so what he has to say will be given a lot of weight,” she said.
Tenorio viewed the oversight hearing as positive for the CNMI.
“Having an insular affairs subcommittee puts us in a much better position with Congress. The issues affecting the relationship of the CNMI and the U.S. are best heard at the subcommittee level. It is a good thing. We can benefit from having this subcommittee hearing,” Tenorio said.
Christensen said upon the request of Tenorio, the subcommittee will hold another hearing, this time on Saipan, in August of this year.