Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Preliminary Observations on the Implementation of Federal Immigration Laws
Published: 2017-04-27T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: In 2008, Public Law 110-229 established federal control of CNMI immigration. It required DHS to create a transitional work permit program for foreign workers in the CNMI and to decrease the number of permits issued annually; it presently requires that DHS reduce them to zero by December 31, 2019. To implement this aspect of the law, in 2011, DHS created a CW-1 permit program for foreign workers. In 2015, foreign workers totaled 12,784, making up more than half of the CNMI workforce.
GAO was asked to review the implementation of federal immigration laws in the CNMI. This testimony discusses GAO's preliminary observations from its ongoing work on (1) the potential economic impact of reducing the number of CNMI foreign workers to zero and (2) federal and CNMI efforts to address labor force challenges.
GAO reviewed U.S. laws and regulations; analyzed government data, including CNMI tax records since 2001; and conducted fieldwork in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, CNMI. During fieldwork, GAO conducted semistructured interviews and discussion groups with businesses, CW-1 workers, U.S. workers, and current and former job training participants. GAO also interviewed officials from the CNMI government, DHS, and the U.S. Departments of Commerce, the Interior, and Labor.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: If all foreign workers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) with CNMI-Only transitional worker (CW-1) permits, or 45 percent of total workers in 2015, were removed from the CNMI's labor market, GAO's preliminary economic analysis projects a 26 to 62 percent reduction in CNMI's 2015 gross domestic product (GDP)—the most recent GDP available. In addition, demand for foreign workers in the CNMI exceeded the available number of CW-1 permits in 2016—many approved for workers from China and workers in construction occupations. The construction of a new casino in Saipan is a key factor in this demand (see photos taken both before and during construction in 2016). Meanwhile, by 2019, plans for additional hotels, casinos, and other projects estimate needing thousands of new employees. When the CW-1 permit program ends in 2019, GAO's preliminary analysis of available data shows that the unemployed domestic workforce, estimated at 2,386 in 2016, will be well below the CNMI's expected demand for labor. To meet this demand, CNMI employers may need to recruit U.S.-eligible workers from the U.S. states, U.S. territories, and the freely associated states (the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau).
Federal and CNMI efforts to address labor force challenges include (1) job training programs and (2) employment assistance funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and implemented by the CNMI's Department of Labor. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collects the $150 vocational education fee assessed for each foreign worker on a CW-1 petition and transfers the fees to the CNMI government. Results of GAO's ongoing work indicate that to support vocational education curricula and program development in fiscal years 2012 through 2016, DHS transferred to the CNMI Treasury about $9.1 million in CW-1 fees. During this period, GAO's preliminary analysis shows that the CNMI government allocated about $5.8 million of the $9.1 million to three educational institutions: Northern Marianas College, Northern Marianas Trades Institute, and the CNMI's Public School System. In 2016, a U.S.–CNMI consultative process resulted in a report to Congress with six recommendations related to the CNMI economy, including one to raise the cap on CW-1 foreign worker permits and extend the permit program beyond 2019.
section_title: What GAO Recommends
paragraphs: GAO is not making any recommendations at this time. GAO plans to issue a final report in May 2017.

section_title: Letter
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Chairman Murkowski, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Members of the  Committee:  Thank you for the opportunity today to discuss preliminary observations  from our ongoing work looking at the implementation of federal  immigration laws in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  (CNMI).
The 1976 Covenant defining the political relationship between CNMI and  the United States exempted the CNMI from certain federal immigration  laws but reserved the right of the federal government to apply federal law  in these exempted areas without the consent of the CNMI government.  The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 amended the U.S.– CNMI Covenant to establish federal control of CNMI immigration  beginning in 2009. The act established a transition period and special  provisions for foreign visitors, investors, and workers. Specifically, it  required the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a  temporary work permit program for foreign workers and to reduce  annually the number of permits issued, reducing them to zero by the end  of the transition period—now set to occur on December 31, 2019. As part  of the temporary work permit program, DHS collects a vocational  education fee from prospective employers of those applying for special  nonimmigrant visas and transfers these fees to the CNMI government for  ongoing vocational programs provided by the CNMI educational entities.
This testimony discusses preliminary observations from our ongoing work  on (1) the potential economic impact of reducing the number of foreign  workers to zero and (2) federal and CNMI efforts to address labor force  challenges. In a subsequent report, we will also discuss the changes in  CNMI’s labor market since federally mandated minimum wage increases  began. We plan to issue our final report in May 2017.
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To evaluate the potential economic impact of reducing the number of  foreign workers in the CNMI to zero and replacing them with domestic  workers, we created a simulated mathematical model of how the CNMI’s  gross domestic product (GDP) would change if the number of foreign  workers were reduced to zero. We also analyzed DHS data on the annual  number of approved CNMI-Only transitional worker (CW-1) permits by  country of birth, occupation, and business from 2014 through 2016. To  evaluate the possible replacement of CW-1 workers with domestic  workers, we analyzed the number of people seeking employment in 2016,  in the context of labor requirements for the CNMI’s planned development  projects as of December 20, 2016.
To assess federal and CNMI government efforts to address labor force  challenges, we reviewed the CNMI’s job training programs and a report  generated through a consultative process specified in section 902 of the  U.S.–CNMI Covenant (hereafter, the 902 Report). For job training  programs, we analyzed the use of CW-1 vocational education fees that  DHS transferred to the CNMI government in fiscal years 2012 through  2016. We also interviewed officials and reviewed documents provided by  the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the CNMI government to  better understand the 902 consultative process (hereafter, 902  Consultations).
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Commerce (DOC), the CNMI’s Departments of Finance and Commerce,  and CNMI’s tourism organizations. We determined that the data used in  our analyses were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our report.
We are conducting the work upon which this statement is based in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: Part of the Mariana Islands Archipelago, the CNMI is a chain of 14 islands  in the western Pacific Ocean—just north of Guam and about 3,200 miles  west of Hawaii. The CNMI has a total population of 53,890, according to  preliminary results of the CNMI’s 2016 Household, Income, and  Expenditures Survey. Almost 90 percent of the population (48,200)  resided on the island of Saipan, with an additional 6 percent (3,056) on  the island of Tinian and 5 percent (2,635) on the island of Rota.
subsections: section_title: U.S.–CNMI Relations
paragraphs: Error! No text of specified style in document. for matters relating to foreign affairs and defense affecting the CNMI.  The Covenant initially made many federal laws applicable to the CNMI,  including laws that provide federal services and financial assistance  programs. However, the Covenant preserved the CNMI’s exemption from  certain federal laws that had previously been inapplicable to the Trust  Territory of the Pacific Islands, including certain federal minimum wage  provisions and immigration laws, with certain limited exceptions. Under  the terms of the Covenant, the federal government has the right to apply  federal law in these exempted areas without the consent of the CNMI  government. Section 902 of the Covenant provides that the U.S. and  CNMI governments will designate special representatives to meet and  consider in good faith issues that affect their relationship and to make a  report and recommendations.
Error! No text of specified style in document. immigration benefits, that is, the ability to live, and in some cases  work, in the CNMI permanently or temporarily.
DOI’s Office of Insular Affairs coordinates federal policies and  provides technical and financial assistance to the CNMI. The  Covenant requires DOI to consult regularly with the CNMI on all  matters affecting the relationship between the U.S. government and  the islands. In May 2016, President Obama designated the Assistant  Secretary for Insular Affairs as the Special Representative for the  United States for the 902 Consultations, a process initiated at the  request of the Governor of the CNMI to discuss and make  recommendations to Congress on immigration and labor matters  affecting the growth potential of the CNMI economy, among other  topics. The 902 Consultations resulted in a report to the President in  January 2017, which we refer to as the 902 Report.
DOL requires employers to fully test the labor market for U.S. workers  to ensure that U.S. workers are not adversely affected by the hiring of  nonimmigrant and immigrant workers, except where not required by  law. DOL also provides grants to the CNMI government supporting  youth, adult, and dislocated worker programs. From 1999 through  2015, DOL provided such grants under the Workforce Investment Act  of 1998 (WIA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of  2014 (WIOA).
section_title: The CNMI Labor Market
paragraphs: Error! No text of specified style in document. figure shows, from the lowest point in 2013, the number of employed  workers increased by approximately 8 percent by 2015 (from 23,344 to  25,307). However, the number employed in 2015 (25,307) was still  approximately 31 percent less than the number employed in 2007  (36,524).
Error! No text of specified style in document. workers fell from a peak of almost 38,000 in 2002 (roughly 75 percent of  the employed workers) and was under 13,000 in 2015. In contrast, since  2002, the number of domestic workers has fluctuated year to year,  ranging from about 10,500 to about 13,500, but increased by 17 percent  from 2013 to 2015.
In 2007, the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of  1938 were applied to the CNMI, requiring the minimum wage in the CNMI  to rise incrementally to the federal level in a series of scheduled  increases. Under current law, the next minimum wage increase will occur  on September 30, 2017, and the CNMI will reach the current U.S.  minimum wage on September 30, 2018 (see table 1).
Based on our preliminary analysis, we estimate that approximately 62  percent (15,818 of 25,657) of the CNMI’s wage workers in 2014,  assuming they maintained employment, would have been directly  affected by the federally mandated 2016 wage increase, which raised  CNMI’s minimum wage from $6.05 to $6.55 per hour. Since 72 percent  of the total foreign workers made less than or equal to $6.55 per hour in  2014, they were more likely to have been directly affected by the 2016  wage increase than domestic workers, with only 41 percent making less  than or equal to $6.55.
section_title: Changes in the Application of Federal Immigration Laws
paragraphs: The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 amended the U.S.– CNMI Covenant to apply federal immigration law to the CNMI, following a  transition period. Among other things, the act includes several  provisions affecting foreign workers during the transition period.
Error! No text of specified style in document. status that allows them to work in the CNMI. Dependents of CW-1  nonimmigrants (spouses and minor children) are eligible for dependent of  a CNMI-Only transitional worker (CW-2) status, which derives from and  depends on the CW-1 worker’s status.
In accordance with the Consolidated Natural Resources Act, DHS,  through USCIS, has annually reduced the number of CW-1 permits, and  is required to do so until the number reaches zero by the end of a  transition period. Since 2011, DHS has annually determined the  numerical limitation, terms, and conditions of the CW-1 permits (see table  2). The act was amended in December 2014 to extend the transition  period until December 31, 2019, and eliminate the Secretary of Labor’s  authority to provide for future extensions of the CW program.
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Error! No text of specified style in document. associated states, and could allow them to live and work either in the  United States and its territories or in the CNMI only.
section_title: Tourism Trends in the CNMI
paragraphs: Since 1990, the CNMI’s tourism market has experienced considerable  fluctuation, as shown by the total annual number of visitor arrivals (see  fig. 2). Total visitor arrivals to the CNMI dropped from a peak of 726,690  in fiscal year 1997 to a low of 338,106 in 2011, a 53 percent decline.  Since 2011, however, visitor arrivals have increased by 48 percent,  reaching 501,489 in fiscal year 2016.
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Korean visitors enter the CNMI under the U.S. visa waiver program,  Chinese visitors are not eligible and are permitted to be temporarily  present in the CNMI under DHS’s discretionary parole authority,  according to DHS officials. DHS exercises parole authority to allow, on a  case-by-case basis, eligible nationals of China to enter the CNMI  temporarily as tourists when there is significant public benefit, according  to DHS data. From fiscal year 2011 to 2016 the percentage of travelers  that arrived at the Saipan airport and were granted discretionary parole  increased from about 20 percent to about 50 percent of the total travelers,  according to our analysis of CBP data.
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section_title: Eliminating CW-1 Permits Would Negatively Affect the Economy; Current and Planned Demand for Labor Exceeds Supply of U.S. Workers
subsections: section_title: Preliminary Results of Our Economic Analysis and Recent Data Show That Ending the CW Program Could Have a Large Negative Effect on the Economy
paragraphs: If all CW-1 workers, or 45 percent of the total workers in 2015, were  removed from the CNMI’s labor market, our preliminary economic  analysis projects a 26 to 62 percent reduction in the CNMI’s 2015 GDP,  depending on the assumptions made. To estimate the possible effect of  a reduction in the number of workers with CW-1 permits in the CNMI to  zero—through the scheduled end of the CW program in 2019—we  employed an economic method that enabled us to simulate the effect of a  reduction under a number of different assumptions.
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50 percent likelihood that it would have ranged from $462 million to  $583 million, which is 37 to 50 percent lower than the actual value;  and
25 percent likelihood that it would have ranged from $353 million to  $462 million, which is 50 to 62 percent lower than the actual value  (see fig. 3).
Across the full range of probable outcomes, the elimination of the CW  program would result in a 26 to 62 percent decline in the CNMI’s 2015  GDP, a relatively large negative effect on the economy.
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section_title: Our Preliminary Analysis Shows That Recent and Planned Demand for Labor Exceeds Existing CW-1 Permits and the Supply of Local Workers
subsections: section_title: Recent Labor Demand
paragraphs: The CNMI economy currently is experiencing growing demand for  workers, particularly among occupations in construction and hospitality.  Since fiscal year 2013, demand for CW-1 permits has doubled, and in  fiscal year 2016, demand exceeded the numerical limit (or cap) on  approved CW-1 permits set by DHS. Approved CW-1 permits grew from  6,325 in fiscal year 2013 to 13,299 in fiscal year 2016. In 2016, when the  cap was set at 12,999, DHS received enough petitions by May 6, 2016, to  approve 13,299 CW-1 permits, reaching the cap 5 months prior to the end  of the fiscal year. On October 14, 2016, 2 weeks into fiscal year 2017,  DHS announced that it had received enough petitions to reach the CW-1  cap and would not accept requests for new fiscal year 2017 permits  during the remaining 11 months. In interviews, some employers  reported being surprised to learn that the cap had been reached when  they sought renewals for existing CW-1 workers. See table 3 for the  numerical limit of CW-1 permits and number of permits approved by fiscal  year.
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Legend: – = Not applicable; CNMI = Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; CW-1 = CNMI- Only transitional worker; DHS = U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Based on DHS data on approved CW-1 permits, by country of birth,  occupation, and business, from fiscal years 2014 through 2016, the  number of permits approved for Chinese nationals increased, the number  of permits approved for construction workers increased, and a large  number of CW-1 permits were approved for three new businesses.
Chinese nationals. In 2016, DHS approved 4,844 CW-1 permits for  Chinese workers, increasing from 1,230 in 2015 and 854 in 2014. This  represents a change in the source countries of CW-1 workers, with the  percentage of workers from the Philippines declining from 65 to 53  percent during this period, while the share from China rose from 9 to 36  percent (see table 4).
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Legend: – = Not applicable; CNMI = Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; CW-1 = CNMI- Only transitional worker.
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Construction workers. In 2016, DHS approved 3,443 CW-1 permits for  construction workers, increasing from 1,105 in 2015 and 194 in 2014 (see  table 5).
New businesses. In 2016, DHS approved 3,426 CW-1 permits for three  construction businesses, representing 26 percent of all approved  permits. Two of these businesses had not previously applied for CW-1  permits. The third business was new in 2015 and was granted only 62  CW-1 permits that year.
Error! No text of specified style in document. later than 36 months from the date of the license, or by August 2017.  See figure 4 for photos showing the initial gaming facility’s development  site in Saipan both before and during construction.
Error! No text of specified style in document. restriction for such visas. However, China is not listed as an eligible  country for H-2 visas.
section_title: Planned Labor Demand
paragraphs: Amid the uncertainty of the future availability of foreign labor, the CNMI  government has granted zoning permits to planned projects that will  require thousands of additional workers. Twenty-two new development  projects, including six new hotels or casinos in Saipan and two new hotels  or casinos in Tinian, are planned for construction or renovation by 2019.  Beyond the construction demand created by these projects, the CNMI’s  Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality estimates that at least  8,124 employees will be needed to operate the new hotels and casinos.
According to data provided by the bureau, most of this planned labor  demand is for development on the island of Tinian, where two businesses  plan to build casino resorts, with an estimated labor demand of 6,359  workers for operations—more than twice the island’s population in 2016.  According to the Department of Treasury, the existing casino and hotel on  Tinian closed in 2015 after having been fined $75 million by the U.S.
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Department of the Treasury for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act of  1970. One of the two Tinian developments offers overseas immigration  services, including assistance with obtaining employment or investment- based immigration to the United States. We observed a billboard  advertisement in Tinian with Chinese writing indicating that by investing in  a new development in Tinian, an investor’s family members would all get  American green cards. This resort development, whose plans estimate a  labor force of 859, has undertaken site preparation, while the other larger  resort project, whose plans estimate a labor force of 5,500, had not  initiated construction as of December 2016.
Currently, the CNMI government does not have a planning agency or  process to ensure that planned projects are aligned with the CNMI’s  available labor force, according to CNMI officials. In January 2017, a bill  was introduced in the CNMI Senate to establish an Office of Planning and  Development within the Office of the Governor.
section_title: Available Domestic Labor
paragraphs: Our preliminary analysis shows that the current number of unemployed  domestic workers in the CNMI is insufficient to replace the existing CW-1  workers or to fill all the nonconstruction jobs that planned development  projects are expected to create once their business operations  commence.
Error! No text of specified style in document. show that the unemployed domestic workforce, estimated at 2,386  in 2016, will be well below the number of workers needed to replace  currently employed CW-1 workers in nonconstruction-related  occupations.
In addition, our preliminary analysis indicates that the unemployed  workforce would fall far short of the demand for additional workers in  nonconstruction related occupations needed to support the ongoing  operations of planned development projects—currently estimated at  8,124 workers by 2019.
Error! No text of specified style in document. of Palau). For example, in 2003, 1,909 freely associated state workers  were employed in the CNMI as compared with 677 of these workers in  2015, according to CNMI tax data. Moreover, many citizens from the  freely associated states migrate to the United States each year,  including to nearby Guam. Guam and Hawaii, the closest U.S. areas  to the CNMI, both have higher local minimum wages than the CNMI,  currently at $8.25 and $9.25 per hour, respectively, according to DOL.
section_title: While Some Employers Report Successes, Others Report Facing Multiple Challenges in Efforts to Recruit and Retain U.S. Workers
paragraphs: Employers in the CNMI are required to attempt to recruit and hire U.S.  workers. The CNMI government has a goal that all employers hire at least  30 percent U.S. workers, and employers are generally required to post all  job openings to the CNMI Department of Labor’s website. However, the  CNMI government can and has granted exemptions to this requirement.  From May 8, 2015, to May 27, 2016, seven businesses were granted  exemptions, according to data provided by the CNMI Department of  Labor. In addition, all employers that apply for CW-1 permits must attest  that no qualified U.S. worker is available for the job opening. However,  during our ongoing work, some of the CNMI employers with whom we  met reported that they face the following challenges in recruiting and  retaining U.S. citizens, among others: unsatisfactory results of job  postings, high costs of recruiting, and difficulty in retaining U.S. workers.
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section_title: Federal and CNMI Efforts to Address Labor Force Challenges Include Job Training Programs and a Consultative Process
paragraphs: The federal and CNMI governments support programs seeking to address  the CNMI’s labor force challenges. These programs include job training  funded by employers’ CW-1 vocational education fees that DHS transfers  to the CNMI government and employment and training assistance funded  by DOL. Our preliminary analysis shows that in recent years, on  average, DHS transferred about $1.8 million per year in CW-1 vocational  education fees and DOL provided about $1.3 million per year to the CNMI  for employment and training programs.
subsections: section_title: Fees Collected by CW Program Support Job Training
paragraphs: DHS collects the $150 vocational education fee assessed for each foreign  worker on a CW-1 petition and typically transfers the fees to the CNMI  government each month. Results of our ongoing work indicate that to  support vocational education curricula and program development in fiscal  years 2012 through 2016, DHS transferred to the CNMI Treasury about  $9.1 million in CW-1 fees. In fiscal years 2012 through 2016, the CNMI  government allocated about $5.8 million of the $9.1 million in CW-1  vocational education fees to three educational institutions (see fig. 5). At  present, the CW-1 fees support job training programs at Northern  Marianas College and Northern Marianas Trades Institute and in recent  years also funded job training provided by CNMI’s Public School System.  All three institutions reported using a majority of the CW-1 fees to pay the  salaries and benefits of faculty and staff members involved in job training  programs.
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Error! No text of specified style in document. established in 2008—received $1.7 million in CW-1 funding. The  institute specializes in training youths and adults in construction,  hospitality, and culinary trades. The institute’s senior officers told us  that in fiscal year 2016, 300 students were enrolled in the institute’s  fall, spring, and summer sessions, and as of November 2016, 132 of  these students had found employment after completing their training.
CNMI’s Public School System. In fiscal years 2012 through 2015,  the Public School System—which consists of 20 public schools,  including 5 high schools that graduated 662 students in the 2014– 2015 school year—received $2 million in CW-1 funds for its  cooperative education program designed to prepare high school  students for the CNMI’s job market. By the end of the 2014–2015  school year, 452 students were enrolled in the cooperative education  program, according to the federal programs officer for the Public  School System.
As part of our ongoing work, we facilitated group discussions with current  and former students of the CW-1-funded programs at each of the three  institutions. Several participants told us that the training had helped them  find jobs. Participants also identified specific benefits of the training they  received, such as increased familiarity with occupations they intended to  enter, learning communication skills tailored for specific work  environments, and maintaining and improving skills in a chosen career  path. However, the employers we interviewed in the CNMI told us that the  benefits of the job training programs supported by the CW-1 vocational  education fees were limited to Saipan and that programs run by Northern  Marianas College and Northern Marianas Trades Institute were  unavailable on Tinian and Rota.
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section_title: With DOL Funding, the CNMI Government Provides Job Search Assistance, Career Counseling, and Training
paragraphs: Preliminary results of our ongoing work show that from July 2012 through  June 2016, DOL provided about $5.3 million in grants under the  Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and the Workforce Innovation  and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) to the CNMI Department of Labor’s  Workforce Investment Agency for job search assistance, career  counseling, and training. That agency carried out WIA programs in the  CNMI and now administers programs under WIOA. DOL’s Employment  and Training Administration conducts federal oversight of these  programs. Providers of DOL-funded worker training include Northern  Marianas College, Northern Marianas Trades Institute, CNMI government  agencies, and private businesses. Examples of training provided by these  entities include courses toward certification as a phlebotomy technician, a  nursing assistant, and a medical billing and coding specialist.
The CNMI developed a state plan outlining a 4-year workforce  development strategy under WIOA and submitted its first plan by April 1,  2016. The plan and the WIOA performance measures took effect in July  2016. According to its state plan, the CNMI Department of Labor has  formed a task force to assess approaches for using workforce programs  to prepare CNMI residents for jobs that will be available because of  ongoing reductions in the number of foreign workers and the eventual  expiration of the CW program.
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section_title: Recently Completed 902 Consultative Process Resulted in Recommendations to Congress and DHS
paragraphs: In December 2016, after 8 months of official 902 Consultations, informal  discussions, and site visits to locations in the CNMI, the Special  Representatives of the United States and the CNMI transmitted a report  to the President that included six recommendations agreed to by the  Special Representatives on immigration and labor matters:  1.  Extending the CW program beyond 2019 and other amendments,  such as raising the CW-1 cap and restoring the executive branch’s  authority to extend the CW program.  2.  Providing permanent status for long-term guest workers.  3.  Soliciting input on suggested regulatory changes to the CW program.  4.  Considering immigration policies to address regional labor shortages.  5.  Extending eligibility to the CNMI for additional federal workforce  development programs.  6.  Establishing a cooperative working relationship between DHS and the  CNMI.
Table 6 lists these six recommendations and summarizes proposed next  steps toward implementing them that could be taken, according to the  report.
Chairman Murkowski, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Members of the  Committee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to  respond to any questions you may have at this time.
section_title: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: For further information regarding this statement, please contact David  Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade at (202) 512-3149 or  gootnickd@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional  Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this  statement. Individuals making key contributions to this testimony included  Emil Friberg (Assistant Director), Julia Ann Roberts (Analyst-in-Charge),  Sada Aksartova, David Blanding, Benjamin Bolitzer, David Dayton, and  Moon Parks. Technical support was provided by Neil Doherty, Mary  Moutsos, and Alexander Welsh.
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