House Bill 17-202 now goes to the governor.
Introduced by Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, H.B. 17-202 will allow qualified foreign nationals in the field of engineering to work for the technical services division of DPW.
But DPW’s exemption from current law that does not allow the government to hire nonresidents will expire in 2015.
Cabrera, who was in the Senate gallery when his bill was passed, said DPW’s technical services division was having a hard time finding resident engineers to fill positions critical in providing adequate services to the people of commonwealth.
He also noted that the current economic situation in the CNMI “requires the continued availability of foreign nationals to augment the workforce but also demands that the system for regulating the employment of foreign nationals be more efficient and less costly to operate.”
Cabrera said current law requires employers to make at least 30 percent of their workforce available for locals. This employment preference, he added, involves training to qualify locals for jobs that require special skills.
