Saipan Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho, left, listens during a House Ways and Means Committee’s budget hearing on Wednesday in the House chamber.
Legislative Bureau photo
THE House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday discussed the possibility of including a marriage license fee increase in the fiscal year 2026 budget bill to help the Saipan Mayor’s Office raise additional funds for its operations.
The Saipan Mayor’s Office was appropriated $3.2 million in the FY 2025 budget, and Gov. Arnold I. Palacios has proposed the same amount for FY 2026.
During a committee hearing, Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho said although his office submitted a $5.4 million budget request for FY 2026, he is willing to accept at least $1 million more than the governor’s proposal.
“I understand that we are all struggling. I know that your task is not easy because of the financial crisis that we are seeing. I am willing to at least accept an additional $1 million to the $3.2 million — at least to compromise,” the mayor told Ways and Means Chair John Paul P. Sablan during the budget hearing in the House chamber.
According to the mayor’s chief of staff, Priscilla Iakopo, the Saipan Mayor’s Office currently has $156,000 in its marriage license revolving account. The marriage license fee is $50 for residents and $125 for non-residents.
If the mayor himself performs the marriage ceremony, an additional fee is charged: $30 for residents and $75 for nonresidents. There is also a $25 documentation fee for both residents and nonresidents.
Mayor Camacho said his office handles the highest number of marriage applications compared to other authorized entities, such as the Office of the Governor, the Superior Court, and local churches. While he did not provide an exact figure, he estimated the number of marriages he performs to be in the three digits, compared to double digits for the others.
“My office receives marriage license applications almost every week,” he said.
Iakopo noted, however, that they have seen a decline in the number of marriage applications, many of which are from nonresident couples, primarily from China.
Committee Vice Chair Blas Jonathan Attao said they need all this information to assess the request to increase marriage fees.
“Maybe one of the things to consider is increasing the fees for FY 2026,” Attao said. “That’s going to be additional income for the mayor’s office.”
Mayor Camacho said he doesn’t want to place additional financial burden on couples getting married, “especially our own local people,” but acknowledged the need to explore revenue-generating options.
“Of course, we are looking at all possible angles on how to generate revenue,” he said, adding that his office has already discussed the possibility of increasing the marriage fee with other agencies.
Attao suggested the increase could be included in the FY 2026 budget bill.
“It’s going directly to the entities that can perform this type of service. It’s not going to show how much you are going to make, but the mayor’s office will definitely generate more revenue,” he said.
In the 23rd Legislature, the House passed House Bill 23-79, which sought to raise the marriage license fee for nonresidents from $125 to $250, and for residents from $50 to $100. The bill failed to pass the Senate.
