This CNMI education funding fee, according to U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services Honolulu District Director David G. Gulick, will be transferred to the CNMI government.
House Bill 17-218 which Yumul, R-Saipan, pre-filed last Friday seeks to “establish priority allocations” to the various educational institutions to meet the intent of U.S. Public Law 110-229 or the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which federalized local immigration.
The measure will put in a special account the $150 fee that will be collected from applicants as soon as USCIS starts accepting applications for the CW-visa.
H.B. 17-218 will appropriate 30 percent of the money to the technical education fund, 50 percent to the vocational education program of Northern Marianas College and 20 percent for the governor’s office and other government and private vocational schools and job training programs.
In an interview Monday, Yumul said that if this bill is passed the Legislature does not have to zero out the leadership accounts and the individual members’ allocations.
“I understand the Senate’s concern regarding funding for the Public School System and NMC, but to zero out the leadership accounts and discretionary funds is not necessary,” he said.
The CW fees should help avoid another deadlock over the budget bill, he added,
The administration, however, said “it is premature at this point to ascertain exactly how much CW permit fees will be collected as this will be dependent on the number of permit applications employers will submit to USCIS.”
