But Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said “the governor does not think that it is silly to spend some $400,000 to try to save $5 million in revenues we would immediately lose once the federal government administers our guest worker program.”
The revenues he referred to are the CNMI government’s potential collections from employers and foreign workers’ labor permit fees.
Benavente, R-Saipan, has sponsored the resolution urging Gov. Benigno R. Fitial to appoint someone who can negotiate with U.S. authorities, through 902 talks, the implementation of the federalization law.
The House of Representatives, which rejected the governor’s proposal to appropriate $400,000 for the lawsuit, has adopted Benavente’s resolution.
On Tuesday, the governor sent a two-page letter to the members of the Legislature, saying that 902 talks “do not offer any realistic avenue with respect to the problems raised by U.S. Public Law 110-229,” which contains the CNMI federalization law.
“Early in the process, I invoked 902 as a basis for discussion…. [M]eetings were held [but] these discussions were brief and fruitless,” the governor told lawmakers.
“I disagree with some of the statements that the [governor] made,” Benavente said. “It’s one sided, just pointing out the faults. I still believe that the 902 talks are still the right venue to solve any differences we have with the feds. What’s troubling is that his proposal looks silly. The Legislature does not support the lawsuit. If a lawsuit is going to be filed, it has to be fully supported by the leadership [of both houses].”
Reyes reiterated that there’s nothing wrong with filing a lawsuit against the federal government.
“It is a normal part of our American tradition of dissent to sue the federal government to protect economic rights…. Even Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is currently suing the federal government and she is now the GOP’s candidate for vice president,” he said.
He stressed that court action is needed.
“We cannot negotiate with the regulators because the regulators are bound to uphold the letter of the law. Our problems with the new federal law can only be addressed by the U.S. Congress and the federal courts,” he said.
“Too much is at stake here and many people in our community may not fully appreciate the devastating consequences of federalization until it is too late. The governor wants to act now to try to save the CNMI from the impending economic disaster that would most certainly result when our access to labor is severely curtailed under the federal takeover law,” he added.
