By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

VISITING U.S. Senate staffer Allen Stayman on Sunday discussed federalization issues with Northern Marianas College students and faculty members, and told them that he was here to gather more information.
Stayman and another Senate staffer, Josh Johnson, talked for two hours with the students of the Current Issues class of Samuel McPhetres.
Faculty members and some residents were also present.
According to McPhetres, Stayman “didn’t even mention anything about when this immigration bill will be introduced in the Senate — what he said was that it’s a long process and what they were here for is to gather more information from other sources. They have a lot of questions prepared.”
He said the staffers and the students had a “very healthy discussion.”
“People spoke up freely and gave good ideas. It was a very healthy discussion,” he added.
Acting NMC president Danny Wyatt said Stayman “is not pushing one way or the other…the way we looked at it he just presented what the problems are and what the benefits are. People are very interested and I think a lot of us came out of it with a better understanding of both issues now.”
A former director of the Office of Insular Affairs, Stayman discussed the islands’ Covenant with the U.S., and the concerns raised by the federal government regarding local labor and immigration issues.
Stayman said he was on Saipan as a “follow-up” to the Feb. 8 hearing conducted by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and to gather more information regarding the CNMI’s economic downturn.
Included among the questions that Stayman said he has prepared for the CNMI government:
• How do you balance revenue and spending?
• How do you balance local and alien labor?
• What labor and immigration policies need consideration?