More time, more workers: US Workforce Act is law

The Marianas economy will have access to foreign labor for 10 more years and new protections for U.S. workers and local businesses under terms of the Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Workforce Act. The President signed the Act on Tuesday evening. U.S. Public Law 115-218 provides 13,000 Marianas-only CW visas beginning in fiscal year 2019. That is an increase of 8,001 over the 4,999 set by the Trump administration, which would have been a disaster for our economy. P.L. 115-218 also continues the bar on claims of asylum in the Marianas, without which there would be no parole for Chinese tourists, who make up almost half of all arrivals.

I drafted the Workforce Act, together with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and a working group of congressional offices. We incorporated ideas from many hours of listening sessions with constituents in the Marianas and policies agreed last year in my Northern Mariana Islands Economic Expansion Act, Public Law 115-53. [See, Kilili thanks Governor for support of H.R. 339] The US Workforce Act also benefited from a decade of experience here in the congressional office, helping individuals solve problems created by U.S. Public Law 110-229, which first put the Marianas under federal immigration control. A special thanks to Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah), who helped get the bill over the goal line in the House and to Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York), who worked with us in the final minutes of Senate passage. And thanks to the President for signing.