Unlike H.B. 17-55, authored by Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, the new casino bill will help people pay their power bills and travels to Guam.
H.B. 17-130 will appropriate 25 percent of casino revenues for the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. as assistance to its power consumers; 25 percent to subsidize residents’ air fare to Guam; 10 percent for CNMI scholarships; 10 percent for medical referrals; and 30 percent for other programs as approved by the Legislature.
The bill allows the Department of Finance to invest casino earnings in the same manner applied to other funds of the commonwealth and allows the governor to reprogram available funds.
The commission that will be created by the bill will collect a $200,000 casino license fee.
Asked for comment, Senate President Paul A. Manglona, Ind.-Rota, asked: “What part of the Senate’s action they don’t understand?” referring to the Senate’s rejection of the previous casino bill.
He reiterated that there are 99 other things the Legislature can come up with other than casino and marijuana bills.
Manglona urged casino proponents to join the Senate in finding other revenue-generating measures before resorting to something “controversial.”
Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, said the Senate is not going to pass any casino proposal.
Torres said he was asked by casino proponents to introduce the bill because he is supposed to have better rapport with the senators.
He said the Senate killed the last casino bill probably because the speaker had repeatedly clashed with the senators.
