David M. Apatang
GOVERNOR David M. Apatang on Monday approved House Local Bill 24-18, appropriating $75,000 in electronic gaming license fee collections for the Legislative Bureau.
Authored by Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao, Rep. Roman C. Benavente, House Floor Leader Marissa Flores, Rep. John Paul Sablan, and Rep. Ralph N. Yumul, H.L.B. 24-18 is now Saipan Local Law 24-8.
It funds the Legislative Bureau’s costs and reimbursements for the following events:
• The 2025 Association of Pacific Island Legislatures’ 65th Board of Directors meeting on Saipan.
• The 2025 Association of Pacific Island Legislatures’ 42nd General Assembly on Saipan.
• The Third General Assembly of the Mariana Islands Legislature Association on Saipan.
The local spending measure provides that these funds shall not be reprogrammed for any other purpose and shall be without fiscal year limitation.
In his transmittal letter, the governor noted that Saipan Local Law 22-6 — which allows electronic gaming on Saipan — contains a provision to fund the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance program with at least $3 million and SHEFA office operations with $200,000.
The governor said that although the funds are distributed among numerous different accounts, the aggregate balance exceeds the threshold under S.L.L. 22-6, and, thus, there is no conflict with this enactment.
