Sec 1. Title and table of contents
Sec 2. Amendments to the covenant establishing the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
A) Made in the USA – No products can leave the CNMI stating or implying that they were “Made in the USA” unless the minimum wage was paid to the workers, all labor laws were obeyed, and no indentured servitude was allowed.
B) Minimum wage – The US minimum wage (as established by the Fair Labor Standards Act) applies in the CNMI, after the following transition period:
a. 1/1/2007: the wage is raised from its current level to $3.60;
b. 1/1/2008: the wage is raised from $3.60 to $4.15;
c. 1/1/2009: the wage is raised from $4.15 to $5.15, and thereafter increases by $1.00 per year until it is equal to the US minimum wage
C) Duty- and quota-free – No products can be shipped from the CNMI to the U.S. duty- or quota-free unless the minimum wage was paid to the workers, all labor laws were obeyed, no indentured servitude was allowed, and the CNMI takes efforts to prevent unlawful transshipment from foreign exporters.
D) Immigration – The US Immigration and Nationality Act applies as if the CNMI were a state. Currently lawful aliens can apply for U.S. status if they meet certain conditions.
Sec 3. The Customs Service may board ships docked in the CNMI.
Sec 4. Federally funded public works projects in the CNMI must pay the minimum wage, the workers must be paid regularly at the job site, and the wage scale must be posted at the job site.
Sec 5. In conjunction with the Departments of Labor and Commerce, the Interior Department will encourage and identify opportunities for diversification and growth of the CNMI economy, and will develop a job training program for authorized labor.
Sec 6. The Interior Secretary will study labor and human rights violations in the CNMI and will report to Congress after one year.
Sec 7. Effect on other laws: The Act does not modify the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act. The Act clarifies that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act applies in the CNMI.
Sec 8. The Interior Secretary, with the Security of Homeland Secretary, will study security and immigration vulnerabilities in the CNMI – including an evaluation of ports and critical infrastructure, organized crime, and whether further immigration and customs changes are necessary – and will report to Congress with recommendations after one year.
