THE House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed House Bill 22-18, which will impose heavier sentences on crimes motivated by hate.
All the 19 House members present voted yes to H.B. 22-18 authored by Rep. Donald Manglona who was excused from the House session because he had to leave for Rota to attend a legislative delegation session. He co-chairs the Rota delegation.
According to the bill, a person commits a hate crime when he or she perpetrates the following:
• Intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is committed or intended to be committed in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, disability, or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.
• Intentionally commits the act constituting the offensive in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, religion, religious practice, disability, or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.
The bill will impose the following penalties:
• If the maximum penalty for the underlying crime is one year or less, the penalty for a violation of this Act shall be imprisonment for not more than one year or a fine of not more than $2,000 or both.
• If the maximum penalty for the underlying crime is five years or over one year, the penalty for a violation of this Act shall be imprisonment for not more than five years or a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.
• If the maximum penalty for the underlying crime is more than five years but less than 10 years, the penalty for a violation of this Act shall be imprisonment for not more than seven years or a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.
• If the maximum penalty for the underlying crime is 10 years or more the penalty for a violation of this Act shall be imprisonment for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than $15,000, or both.
• In addition to any of the dispositions authorized by this Act, the court may require as part of the sentence imposed upon a person convicted of a hate crime pursuant to this Act, that the defendant complete a program, training session, or counseling session directed at hate crime prevention and education, where the court determines such program, training session or counseling session is appropriate and available.
• Any additional term imposed pursuant to this section shall be in addition to any other punishment provided by law.
Rep. Tina Sablan thanked Manglona for championing the rights and protection of LGBTQ+ and the community at-large. She said, “We are blessed to live in a mostly kind community.”
If H.B. 22-18 becomes law, Sablan said the CNMI will join the other jurisdictions in the nation that have embraced the same message and policy.
Rep. Tina Sablan speaks during a House session on Wednesday.
With the emergency light on, Rep. Vicente Camacho reviews a piece of legislation after power went out during a House session on Wednesday.
