WASHINGTON, D.C. — CNMI Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds has circulated the draft text of a bill titled the Northern Mariana Islands Labor Stabilization Act, which would amend the Covenant and revise key parts of the CNMI’s immigration transition framework.
The bill would replace the current December 31, 2029 transition end date with “the later of December 31, 2039, or the date determined” under a new labor stabilization extension subsection.
That new subsection would direct the U.S. Secretary of Labor, in consultation with multiple federal agencies and the Governor, to determine CNMI labor needs for the ensuing 10-year period and decide whether an additional extension of up to 10 years is necessary, with notice published in the Federal Register if an affirmative determination is made.
On worker permits, the draft bill would cap permits at 15,000 per fiscal year, and add 3,000 permits specifically for Construction and Extraction Occupations (SOC Group 47–0000), with eligibility limited to nationals of countries designated eligible for the H-2B program during calendar year 2024 or 2025.
The draft also adds language stating that, beginning with petitions filed with employment start dates in the first fiscal year after enactment, petitions to import a nonimmigrant worker would be approved by the Governor in a manner substantially similar to Guam’s process referenced in federal regulations.
The proposal would also impose a $150 fee per petition, and states that notwithstanding Section 703(b), amounts collected would be made available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to carry out immigration enforcement and the Act.
Separately, the bill text includes terminology updates that would replace “transition” phrasing with “labor stabilization program” language in Section 6, and revise references from “Commonwealth Only Transitional Worker” to “Commonwealth Only Worker.”
