The members of the 17th House will be sworn in on Jan. 11.
The 16th House is scheduled to hold a session tomorrow and is expected to adjourn soon.
Babauta, Covenant-Saipan, said he will surely miss the “action” on Capital Hill but he’s ready to embrace his new role as a private citizen so he can focus on family matters.
A legislative staffer, Babauta first ran for the House in 1993 as a Republican and won re-election in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
He served as speaker from 2006 to 2008 during the 15th Legislature.
In 2001, he left the GOP to join the Covenant Party which was founded by another long-time Republican, now Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.
As a lawmaker, Babauta said some of his proudest accomplishments are sponsoring the legislation that created the CNMI Probation Office and the measure that requires all sex offenders to register with the government, for which he received a national appreciation award.
Babauta is hoping that the incoming lawmakers will pass a new budget to address the government’s shortfall and fund vital public services.
