BJ Attao
THE Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation on Wednesday passed House Local Bill 23-67, appropriating a total of $209,491 in gambling revenue for the Legislative Bureau.
All the 19 delegation members present voted “yes” to pass the local measure, which Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao introduced on Wednesday.
Sen. Celina Babauta and Rep. Vicente Camacho were excused.
Before they voted on the local bill, Attao offered a substitute version that would allocate $10,000 of the $209,491 for the payment of membership dues in the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures.
H.L.B. 23-67, which now goes to the governor, proposes to reappropriate leftover funds from poker and pachinko fees as well as the exclusive casino license fee paid by Imperial Pacific International in 2018 originally appropriated by Saipan Local Laws 20-24 and 20-26.
According to the SNILD chairman, Rep. John Paul Sablan, the $209,491 was originally appropriated for the purchase of a generator and construction of a generator house for the LB.
Attao said the cost of the generator was less than anticipated, resulting in leftover funds for the LB.
The local appropriation was in response to the request of Legislative Bureau Director Perry John Tenorio, who informed lawmakers in October that with no funding available, the bureau would have to terminate internet, landlines, and cellular phone services, cleaning services, repair and maintenance, dues and subscriptions, and inter-island travels.
Public Law 23-26 or the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriation Act does not include funding for LB operations.
