The governor said Rota Republican Sen. Paul Manglona’s Senate Bill 16-23 also did not clearly define its reference to “resident workers” which may create confusion.
“The enactment of this bill is unnecessary since provisions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, such as the general provisions of the Service Contract Act and the Davis Bacon Related Acts apply to the commonwealth,” he said in his veto message.
On the issue of the vague definition of “resident workers,” the governor said it “would be deemed discriminatory among the CNMI workforce if the reference to resident workers is for it to apply strictly to ‘local residents.’ ”
The governor added that a section on the bill broadens the application of the “prevailing U.S. federal minimum wage as the wage required by law to be paid to employees working within any state of the United States” instead of the prevailing federal minimum wage in the commonwealth.”
Further, he said another section creates additional work for the director of Procurement and Supply Division and the heads of all departments and agencies and their instrumentalities.
The bill wants the secretary of Labor to direct the Workforce Investment Agency and the Division of Employment Services to track down resident workers who are unemployed and willing to work.
They will be notified of job opportunities that are created or available from CIPs and local government projects.
Manglona said his bill aims to help reduce unemployment among resident workers by encouraging them to secure jobs under such contracts.
The CNMI is projected to receive over $100 million in formula grants under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more popularly known as the stimulus law.
