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Labor enforcement, OSHA consultation and workforce programs draw committee scrutiny in CNMI budget hearing
Summary
Department of Labor officials described gaps in enforcement staffing, plans to coordinate with business‑licensing and immigration authorities, and options for OSHA state plan adoption; the department also summarized WIOA, WEA and CW program funding and pilot workforce efforts including pre‑apprenticeship and police cadet support.
Department of Labor officials told the Ways and Means Committee they are seeking additional enforcement staff, pursuing interagency data sharing with business licensing, and exploring expanded occupational‑safety authority or partnerships while continuing workforce training and apprenticeship work.
Kiyoshi, identified in the hearing as the department’s enforcement director, told the committee the division needs five additional staff to build two complementary sections: one to handle compliance cases and another to focus on establishment inspections and enforcement visits. Kiyoshi said closer collaboration with the Department of Finance’s business‑licensing process would help prevent noncompliance by informing new businesses at the licensing stage of labor obligations.
Secretary Leila Stafler said the department lacks authority to enforce immigration status and that enforcement efforts focus on businesses that hire unauthorized workers rather than on individuals; she described ongoing outreach to federal immigration and enforcement partners and said there have been preliminary discussions but no formal memorandum of understanding with ICE. Stafler said businesses that fail to submit required compliance documentation make enforcement more difficult.
The committee also discussed occupational‑safety authority. Tim Asaivo, who runs the OSHA consultation office, explained there are three federal models—federal enforcement, a state plan and consultation—and that moving to a state plan would require a territorial match of roughly $125,000 at minimum and legislative action. Asaivo said the current consultation office is funded at about $250,400 and is the smallest among comparable territorial offices; conversion to a state plan would carry higher fiscal and staffing obligations.
On workforce programs, Frances Torres said the CNMI receives roughly $1.4 million a year in WIOA formula funding (down from prior allotments) and that WIOA supports apprenticeships, pre‑apprenticeship training, and on‑the‑job training. She said a construction pre‑apprenticeship is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor through NMTI and that on‑the‑job training for a proposed Tinian police cadet class was estimated at about $9,000 per cadet for six months of wages.
The committee also raised concerns about WEA/WIOA reimbursements to employers. Department staff acknowledged delays caused by fiscal year closeout, extensions and multi‑agency signatories in the reimbursement workflow and said the department is exploring process improvements but that some delays are outside the department’s control.
Members and staff also discussed CW receipts and program administration. Staff said annual CW receipts have fluctuated and that reported CW worker registrations have remained below the statutory cap (CNMI cap cited in the hearing: 8,000); the department said recent registrations total about 3,400 and that per‑applicant administrative receipts were cited in the hearing at approximately $352.50 (figure cited by staff).
