By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

The Governor’s Association adopted a resolution urging the President and the Olbiil Era Kelulau to repeal a portion the law relating to the payment of 25 percent of public land revenues to the national treasury.
Signed by all governors of the 16 states, the resolution is recommending to amend 35 PNC, Section 217 with the following amended section: "All revenues realized and received by the Authority generated from the administration and management of public lands shall be transmitted to the Director of the Bureau of the National Treasury for inclusion in the National Treasury; provided that whenever s state authority is created pursuant to section 215 of this title, then all revenue generated from the state authority’s administration and management of public lands shall inure to the treasury of that state government."
The Governors also approved and endorsed the language in section 20 of the national government’s fiscal year 2007 budget which forgives past @5 percent lease revenue payments due from all State governments to the national government through December 31, 2006.
The Governors explained that in the 1970’s, the people of Palau sought the return of public lands from the Trust Territory Government and in response the latter provided for the return of public lands by way of Secretarial Order No. 2969.
They said that the Palau District Legislature enacted Public Law No 5-8-10, which created the Palau Public Lands Authority (PPLA) and authorized the creation of State Public Lands Authorities to receive and hold public lands in trust for the benefit of the people of Palau.
Thus Public Law 5-8-10 is codified as 35 PNC 201-219 while section 217 of the same law thus stated that "….three-fourths of all revenue generated from the state authority’s administration and management of public lands shall inure to the treasury of that state government, with the balance of one-fourth inuring to the National Treasury."