The federal government has no obligation to absorb current local immigration employees under the federalization law.
However, federal authorities said they are willing to train locals who will pass the U.S. employment requirements.
Nonetheless, local lawmakers want to make sure that the close to 80 personnel who may lose their jobs next year have employment options.
“As a result of the federal government’s assumption of the CNMI Division of Immigration, all current immigration employees will lose their jobs. It is the intent of this legislation to ensure that these affected employees are not burdened by the implementation of Public Law 110-229. The Legislature therefore finds it necessary to provide for a lateral transfer of those affected employees to other government agencies or departments,” states House Bill 16-168.
Rep. David M. Apatang, R-Saipan, is the principal sponsor of the bill which now awaits Senate action.
Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, R-Saipan, House Minority Leader Oscar M. Babauta, Covenant-Saipan, and Reps. Diego T. Benavente, Ramon A. Tebuteb, both R-Saipan, co-sponsored the bill.
The lateral transfer of the affected immigration employees were embodied in the original House version of the proposed budget bill for Fiscal Year 2009.
The budget bill, however, remains pending in the House.
Under House Bill 16-168, immigration employees who will be displaced “shall retain their current salary levels and benefits” in case of successful lateral transfer.
“The governor, through the Office of Personnel Management shall administer this transfer,” it added.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, and a team of private lawyers in Washington, D.C., are challenging the labor-related provisions of the federalization law.
Motions from the CNMI and relevant federal agencies named in the lawsuit — the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Labor — are scheduled to be filed on or before Dec. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The CNMI filed a motion for preliminary injunction to stop the transition phase scheduled for June 1, 2009 from happening.
