Northern Mariana Islands Covenant Implementation Act

Summary

Northern Mariana Islands Covenant Implementation Act - Amends the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America (the Covenant Act) to apply the Immigration and Nationality Act to the Commonwealth over a ten-year transition period during which the Attorney General shall implement an immigration transition program for it. States that the transition program shall provide for the issuance of nonimmigrant temporary alien worker visas, as well as family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas. Sets forth a statutory scheme for: (1) temporary alien workers; (2) immigrants; (3) investor visas; (4) lawful entry under Commonwealth immigration laws; and (5) travel restrictions for certain asylum applicants. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior and of Labor to develop a technical assistance program to aid employers in securing employees from among U.S. labor or lawfully admissible freely associated state citizen labor. Authorizes the Attorney General and the Department of Labor to establish Immigration and Naturalization Service, Executive Office of Immigration Review, and Department of Labor operations in the Northern Mariana Islands. Directs the President to report to certain congressional committees an evaluation of the overall effect of the transition program and the Immigration and Nationality Act upon the Northern Mariana Islands. Prohibits the Commonwealth from permitting an increase in the total number of temporary alien workers present on the Islands during the period between enactment of this Act and the effective date of the transition program. Sets for the Commonwealth a minimum wage through December 31, 1998, of $3.35 per hour, adjusted annually thereafter in increments of $.30 or the amount necessary to increase the minimum wage rate to the rate required by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, whichever is less. Applies permanently to the Commonwealth the minimum wage rate required by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 once the incrementally increased rate equals such rate. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedules of the United States and other Federal law to prohibit affixation of the "Made in the USA" label to a textile fiber product from the Northern Mariana Islands, and prohibit its duty-free entry into the U.S. customs territory as the product of an insular possession, unless it is produced in a factory certified by the U.S. Department of Labor to use full-time employee equivalents of labor in the required percentage of qualified hours of labor performed by a citizen, national, other protected individual, or a citizen of the Freely Associated States of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 8 October 1997

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 8 October 1997

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10649-10650)

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 8 October 1997

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 31 March 1998

   Committee

   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 105-558.

   Source: Committee

5. 20 May 1998

   Reported

   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

   Source: Committee

6. 5 June 1998

   Calendars

   Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 396.

   Source: Calendars

7. 5 June 1998

   Reported

   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported to Senate by Senator Murkowski with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 105-201. Additional views filed.

   Source: Committee

8. 5 June 1998

   Reported

   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported to Senate by Senator Murkowski with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 105-201. Additional views filed.

   Source: Committee

9. 9 June 1998

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5995-5997)

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Reported to Senate · 5 June 1998 · Official file
• Introduced in Senate · 8 October 1997 · Official file

Documents

6 official files

• Reported to Senate (text)

  Reported to Senate · EN · 5 June 1998

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Reported to Senate (PDF)

  Reported to Senate · EN · 5 June 1998

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 5 June 1998

  Open at official source

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 8 October 1997

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 8 October 1997

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 8 October 1997

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Murkowski, Frank H. [R-AK] · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI-2] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA] · D · Cosponsor
• · sseg00 · Standing

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.