In a letter to Speaker Eliceo D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, Brennan said the chamber does not support House Bill 17-75.
“These are obviously additional costs associated with the proposed law. Institutionally we are against increased costs with doing business in the CNMI and this bill’s passage into law would create additional hardship on a specific area of CNMI commerce and trade,” Brennan said.
Additional cost imposed upon tourists is a deterrent to those same tourists when they are considering whether to participate in marine sports activities, he added.
“Tour agents may well lose clients before they even arrive in the CNMI, and that would send a bad message to those that may be deciding to come to the CNMI for those types of activities,” Brennan said.
He noted that the Northern Marianas Dive Operators Association raised thousands of dollars for the purchase of a decompression chamber several years ago but no purchase was made, and those funds disappeared into the CNMI general fund.
The proposed surcharge is supposed to fund the purchase of the equipment.
Brennan said there are no stated costs as to the funds that would be generated by the bill’s passage versus the actual costs of the decompression chamber.
“There is [also] no mention of associated costs necessary with the maintenance of such a decompression chamber, and its attendant service requirements and/or administrative costs,” Brennan said.
He added, “Perhaps federal funds could be identified to purchase the decompression chamber as well as the unidentified costs with its operation, staffing and maintenance.”
