[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6553381,"mediaKeyId","5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f","parentId",5070630,"title","CNMI Department of Labor urges restoration of Administrative Hearing Office staffing","audioSeconds",6553,"startMs",692000,"endMs",7245000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f&start=692&end=7245","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f/thumbnail_692000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6553381/CNMI-Department-of-Labor-urges-restoration-of-Administrative-Hearing-Office-staffing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6553381-db96f2264feaf389f8815fc4e5e91878/orig.mp4?Expires=1770757649&Signature=RFjRPfCLyyP5jNSUtANlYpWW5hdcqy0X76CyWq32SjSvJWCk14JCZVkJb-5yBv5IkxZTMMJjT7Si2phe3-HT18wp-sbHXWMN3rq6V4oxw4M4h4-yKW7z~nuvavtoYwxvHSVmg9dSA-uqPZPdXmB-a6suwnFSLccBTZtlDPCB85tmN~Jtg1JwKOTXN8kHZqvt2rYjG4~WAiorSv153WnxGuTGxMIRigUBUnfVbZCXwoiwlDNDo0UApdxqbtkX80QBMUY17-jH3VaNRadaQZhdMG74J8d1s50t2mk8WznmVk76wdn1o9xRoS7YJZ9gYkPnHCP-Y-y~h8QzwbaSK-E0lg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House - Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature","date","2025-06-23T13:58:12Z","article","Leila Stafler, secretary of labor for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, told the Ways and Means Committee at a budget hearing that the Department of Labor’s Administrative Hearing Office is critically understaffed and asked committee members to preserve unfilled FTEs in the department’s fiscal 2026 request.

Stafler said the office had been reduced over the past decade to a single full‑time equivalent and that the department needs “at minimum” one Administrative Hearing Officer, one clerk and one administrative staff member to provide impartial adjudication, manage filings and coordinate hearings. She said the office has been unable to sustain those positions through hiring and that the department has used outside legal services to keep hearings moving.

The staffing gap, Stafler said, undermines “timely notice of hearings and evidence,” the ability of parties to prepare, and the issuance of reasoned, documented orders. She told the committee that the last hearing officer resigned in December and that the hearing‑clerk position has been vacant since a 2023 resignation; the department has posted vacancies multiple times and reported no applicants for some posts.

Stafler said the department recently contracted outside counsel to address an accumulation of appeals and labor complaints; she framed those expenditures as temporary and tied to federal program funding. She also asked for a modest salary increase for the hearing officer position — to $95,000 as proposed in the department’s budget narrative — and said the clerk position is included in the current budget request.

Representative Marissa Flores, the floor leader, pressed the department for case counts and outcomes; Stafler said 38 hearings were pending when the vacancy occurred and that outside counsel had been engaged to address 28 of those matters, with about 10 still awaiting assignment. Stafler emphasized that unresolved hearings have tangible consequences for workers and employers, including loss of wages and delayed resolution of claims.

The department repeated its request that the committee not delete unfilled FTEs in the adopted budget and argued that restoring and sustaining staffing is necessary for legally required due‑process protections and for the department’s capacity to enforce labor standards.

The committee did not take a vote on the request at the hearing; members signaled interest in preserving the posted positions while asking for additional clarifications during the budget process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2506923 24th NMCL HoR W&M Budget Hearing 9:30 a.m.","oneSentenceSummary","Leila Stafler, secretary of labor for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, told the Ways and Means Committee at a budget hearing that the Department of Labor’s Administrative Hearing Office is critically understaffed and asked committee members to preserve unfilled FTEs in the department’s fiscal 2026 request.","taxTitle","House, Northern Mariana Legislative Sessions, Northern Mariana Islands","taxId",20281,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6553373,"Labor enforcement, OSHA consultation and workforce programs draw committee scrutiny in CNMI budget hearing",1016,2996000,4012000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f&start=2996&end=4012","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f/thumbnail_2996000.jpg","/articles/6553373/Labor-enforcement-OSHA-consultation-and-workforce-programs-draw-committee-scrutiny-in-CNMI-budget-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6553373-1fc2354287f7f3688df370736e7e4d04/orig.mp4?Expires=1770757649&Signature=Aguoe52iBftC2r~e382U7sL7g2I7IbhmhN1tHZuqEQxBSezXjw7l~86lYtYJYwmjyg8dkSGTBZmUV-KJ5uqzX~4r2nFe40aseVe-ilddCZYb1AW3xPTgX~WsA4uo2Kchu7WTj6UM2QWB12XmHyq5rnpND0maRpu5wFus9dhG4nIMzSBtBxVTvE1~ydoMXQ1tlDjJoHzpQhfTn6o6rB57B02p-WHG3fuGpGqMlNmmuJ5OKs2xy93ZLf07Z7iKJPiO7XoVhhlO1CbslpaPrWeXcS1gRH5VQe-iPeJegiWc-IPxyOyYkKf9lTNxYE-iJOv3H-CyR4ye~RSPGmizxIc6Gw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","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).","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.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6553377,"Department of Labor outlines PUA and CARES‑era fund balances, overpayments and possible extensions",1169,1305000,2474000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f&start=1305&end=2474","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5070630-17fc26bad1d9a523b065c4ac82188c3f/thumbnail_1305000.jpg","/articles/6553377/Department-of-Labor-outlines-PUA-and-CARESera-fund-balances-overpayments-and-possible-extensions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6553377-b47379fc1959c1b625cab3d2d8ba556d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770757649&Signature=VKHwuFoOjNCmutx9hyAMYaXq0T5KP355FocNkf9L1PIVd5gbtTQHW~7DQbcrg2ftZW48JvccI~DQpXtbZMEw9pUbtzFzsxrQa41Y-J2Bjmu-vA4mH3IilHNN0lSQbZ9aSoyyG21qTYwDuZwSHfM2puoTWf8ymafYIsPQcYYF2SxkJcbedv7X46tUjZgHfizS-~Zpy~tlKnPGfDO7GPsNc-A4ABAkC2GKwvrEHcHRY4J6MHyw6ohPKW7xY1sW4mBRnh619YZcTauMZw-BX8TtQANeOB-trngrivFTq0cY7NUGa0sO~oInXrmWvmeZ-1GDt4LywOCL8mBcJK~2rFXUsQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department of Labor officials provided the Ways and Means Committee a detailed accounting of several federal pandemic and program funds during the fiscal 2026 budget hearing and said extensions for some grant periods are still tentative.

TG Rabago, the department’s budget analyst, described remaining balances across multiple accounts tied to benefits and administrative costs. Rabago said the CNMI had received multiple benefit allotments and administrative blocks under CARES‑era programs and that some administrative funding blocks expire in June while two other administrative funding sources expire in September; the department said some extensions have been requested and reported they were told an extension to September was possible but not guaranteed.

Secretary Leila Stafler and department staff told members that PUA funds are being used to pay for PUA appeals handled by outside counsel while the Administrative Hearing Office is vacant, and that CW (Consular Workers/CW program) administrative fees have supplemented utilities and other shared building costs. Frances Torres, who leads employment services and WIOA programs, said CW receipts fluctuate by quarter and that the program had not reached its statutory cap in recent years.

On overpayments the department reported the following figures as its current accounting: 8,233 cases had been forwarded for action; 5,359 of those were closed or fully paid by claimants; the department said the total established overpayment amount is $38,400,000 and that PUA collections to date are $18,600,000. For FPOC (another benefits category) the department said an established amount of $19,800,000 and collections reported to date. The department said total recoveries intercepted to date total $24,100,000 (about $11.5 million from PUA and $12.5 million from FPOC); the department characterized the projection that all pending disbursements would be paid by September 2025 as “very unlikely” but provided a disbursement projection under the assumption of full eligibility.

Committee members asked how long PUA funding would last; department staff said the core CARES grants are set to expire on June 30 and that an extension letter could extend the expenditure period (staff described the extension timeline as likely to be one year from any extension decision). The department asked the committee not to delete unfilled local FTEs that support administration and enforcement while the grants are addressed.

The department did not request immediate committee action on re‑purposing funds at the hearing; staff said reprogramming federal CARES funds into new local unemployment insurance programs would likely require approval from federal grantors and might require legislative or congressional action.","At a Ways and Means budget hearing Department of Labor staff reported remaining balances across multiple CARES‑era accounts, described recovery of established overpayments and said extensions for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funding are tentative.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

CNMI Department of Labor urges restoration of Administrative Hearing Office staffing

Labor enforcement, OSHA consultation and workforce programs draw committee scrutiny in CNMI budget hearing

Department of Labor outlines PUA and CARES‑era fund balances, overpayments and possible extensions