“Yet after all that time and two congressional oversight hearings, numerous letters from congressional leaders, and meeting upon meeting we are still waiting for the Department of Homeland Security to issue the Commonwealth Only Transitional Worker regulations,” Sablan added.
He added, “In fairness the original regulations were blocked by the courts for failure to follow the Administrative Procedures Act. But that was a year and a half ago; and the problem was with procedure, not the regs themselves.”
Last week, Sablan took to the U.S. House floor to express the frustration “of many of us in the Northern Marianas over this inexplicable delay.”
P.L. 110-229, he added, “is supposed to be implemented in a way that helps the economy of the NMI. Instead, it’s having a chilling effect. Worker permits expire in five months. Businesses cannot plan for the future. No one knows what to expect and no guidance has been issued to ease the anxiety and uncertainty. As [Saipan] Chamber [of Commerce] president Doug Brennan has said, ‘this is ridiculous.’ ”
