His unsuccessful lawsuit against the federalization law delayed the implementation of the rules, but the governor said he has been asking federal authorities to issue them since last year.
“That is why I am meeting with key people to address this matter,” Fitial said.
Asked who these key people are, Fitial said they include the governor of Guam who also has a lot of concerns about the worker regulations.
He said Guam is also very interested to see a favorable visa waiver program.
Businesses, he added, are in a difficult situation as they have only two months to decide what to do with their operations and nonresident workers.
The umbrella permit which the CNMI government issued to guest workers expires on Nov. 28.
In a separate interview, Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan said the administration is pleased to see the first sign of progress after so many months, referring to the submission of the worker regulations to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
OMB has 90 days to act on the regulation but, he added, “we definitely would like to see that action is expedited.”
He added, “There is a great degree of uncertainty at the moment because the employers don’t know what’s in store for them in the future until these regulations are out…. If we come out with regulations right before November then, we give business very little time to transition.”
