This, according to Rep. Tina Sablan, is one of the positive things happening in the government.
“This just shows that there’s room for improvement, and applying the Open Government Act to the Legislature is one of this,” Sablan said.
She added that the Legislature is now more open to comments and public forums.
Sablan, Ind.-Saipan, said that they will know in June if more signatures will be needed for the popular initiative that will apply the Open Government Act to the Legislature.
“The signatures we have collected for the initiative will go through another review by the Attorney General’s Office,” she said.
If certified, the initiative will be placed on the ballot and will become law if approved by two-thirds of the votes cast in the general elections.
Sablan said the initiative will require the Legislature to issue public notices for all its sessions and committee meetings.
“This will allow community members to participate if they want to, and gain access to public records in the Legislature,” she said.
The public has access to the records of the Legislative Bureau but the initiative aims to expand that access to the community, she said.
“We will keep the community posted if we need more signatures in June,” Sablan said.
The Eighth Legislature passed the Open Government Act, but the Ninth voted to exempt lawmakers from the law.
Sablan has described the law as “one powerful tool the community has to hold the government accountable for its actions and to keep the community informed about the decisions that the public officials make using the taxpayer dollars.”
Sablan was one of the guests of the Saipan Rotary Club which met at the Hyatt Regency on Tuesday.
