Rep. Ralph S. Demapan in an interview yesterday said he was still trying to “integrate” House Bill 17-55 with House Local Bill 17-44.
H.B. 17-55, the first casino proposal, was introduced by Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, but was rejected by the Senate in Sept. 2010.
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation then passed H.L.B 17-44 which Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, introduced but Fitial vetoed it saying it was unconstitutional.
Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, was tasked to introduce a CNMI bill with an assurance the Senate will approve it this time — provided Saipan voters will say yes in the Nov. 4 “advisory referendum.”
He said aside from some provisions of H.B. 17-55 and H.L.B. 17-44, he will also consider the concerns raised by Saipan residents during a public hearing. One of the issues that he has to address is the need for tougher measures against poker arcades in the villages.
Demapan assured that he will let the public know once he is ready to introduce the new casino bill.
Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, said he hopes that the Senate will soon appoint members to the “working group” so they can sit down and start working with their House counterparts on a casino measure.
“They can put in all the necessary things like safeguards and a lot of things required to have a casino,” he added.
He said there’s going to be a lot of research to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the CNMI people.
Casino, he said, should be designed to bring in more tourists.
