“I was disappointed. The minority was left out of the meeting,” said Rep. Joseph M. Palacios, R-Saipan.
He said none of the Republican House members were invited to hear Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas Tony Babauta present his office’s recommendations.
Several Covenant Party lawmakers as well as cabinet members were present during the meeting in which Lt. Gov. Eloy Inos accepted Interior’s report on behalf of Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.
“It’s upsetting because none of us in the minority were invited,” said Palacios.
He expects his colleagues to raise questions about the administration position on the issue before voting on the adoption of its proposed resolution urging the U.S. Congress to reject Interior’s recommendations.
The House and the Senate are scheduled to hold back-to-back sessions this afternoon.
On their agenda is the adoption of House Joint Resolution 17-4 which expressed the CNMI government’s grave concerns regarding Interior’s recommendation to grant improved immigration status to guest workers who have been legally present on the islands for at least five years.
The resolution will be submitted to the members of the U.S. Congress which will have to decide whether or not to act on Interior’s recommendations.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial is headed to Washington, D.C. on May 18 to speak out against Interior’s recommendations.
House Minority Leader Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan, was said to have left the CNMI ahead of the governor and may proceed to the nation’s capital as well.
