THE Senate on Monday passed eight measures that were mostly introduced by the House of Representatives.
Five of the measures, mostly appropriation bills, were introduced by House Floor Leader Jesus T. Attao, R-Saipan, and passed by the Senate without amendments. These are:
• H.B. 13-3 which seeks to appropriate $39,317 from P.L. 12-6 or the CNMI Ambulance Fee Account for the purchase of emergency supplies and the repair and maintenance of ambulances and fire emergency vehicles “that are vital to the community’s health and welfare.”
• H.B. 13-4 proposes to create three separate accounts out of the ambulance fee accounts created by P.L. 12-6. Each senatorial district will be assigned a separate account. Fees collected by each district will be deposited into their own separate accounts.
• H.B. 13-6 would appropriate $800,000 for capital improvement projects in Precincts 2 and 3. The funds would come from P.L. 11-102 or the Capital Improvement Projects Bond Authorization Act of 1999 which authorized the Commonwealth Development Authority to issue up to $60 million worth of tax exempt obligation bonds to fund various capital improvement projects.
• H.B. 13-17 seeks to amend P.L. 11-79 or the Supplemental Capital Improvement Projects Appropriation Act of 1999 so the remaining balance under the law could be used to fund the replacement of asbestos water pipes in Chinatown homestead area.
• H.B. 13-92 also introduced by Reps. Arnold I. Palacios, R-Saipan, Ramon A. Tebuteb, R-Saipan, and Stanley T. Torres, R-Saipan, would reappropriate the unexpended balance of $1 million from P.L. 11-119 or the Capital Improvement Project Appropriations Act of 2000. The money would be used for the replacement of asbestos water line distribution in Gualo Rai, for the architectural and engineering design, construction and collateral equipment for a public market at fishing base in Garapan and for the construction of an overpass between the Commonwealth Health Center and Garapan Elementary School.
• H.B. 13-69, introduced by Reps. Gloria DLC. Cabrera, R-Saipan, and Frank DLG. Aldan, R-Saipan, was also passed by the Senate without amendment. The bill seeks to appropriate $460,589 for capital improvement projects in Precinct 4.
H.B. 13-9 introduced by Palacios and 12 other House members seeks to re-establish the fish and game conservation fund as a revolving fund for the administration of programs under the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The Senate passed the bill also without amendments.
The bills will be transmitted to the Office of the Governor for action.
Finally, the Senate approved S.B. 13-38 introduced by Senate Floor Leader Joaquin G. Adriano, D-Tinian. It seeks to amend a law requiring an operator of motorcycle who is below 18 years old to wear a safety helmet.
