GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Friday approved three local spending measures for Tinian.
Authored by Rep. Patrick San Nicolas, House Local Bill 22-11, which is now Tinian Local Law 22-3, “re-appropriates $40,000 allotted under Tinian Local Law 20-15, Section 2(g) to the Tinian Municipal Scholarship Board.” T.L.L. 20-15 originally appropriated $40,000 in Saipan casino license fee funds for the Tinian manamko’ office.
Also signed by the governor was H.L.B. 22-14 which is now T.L.L. 22-4. It re-appropriates $62,996 in earned bond interest income collected for Tinian by the Commonwealth Development Authority for the Tinian Marpo Heights village homestead expansion.
A provision of T.L.L. 22-2 originally appropriated the amount “for various municipal capital improvement projects,” but it was line-item vetoed by the governor on June 3, 2021 citing the attorney general’s comment that “a more detailed listing of what capital improvement projects are to be funded with the $62,996 should be provided in order to ensure that the funding is properly accounted for in a transparent manner.”
The governor also approved San Nicolas’ H.L.B. 22-16, now T.L.L. 22-5, appropriating $78,000 in poker fees as follows:
• $5,000 for the Tinian Amateur Sports Association; and
• $73,000 for the mayor of Tinian — of this amount, $43,000 is for professional services and $30,000 is for his discretionary funds.
The expenditure authority of these funds shall be the Finance secretary.
Tinian Rep. Patrick San Nicolas, left, speaks during a House session on July 22, 2021. Seated next to him is the late Rep. Ivan Blanco.
