She fought her way through numerous trials at the courts without a lawyer requesting the courts to order the government to keep the public informed of expenditure of public funds. She emerged victorious.
As a first-term member of the House of Representatives and as a concerned citizen, Christina-Marie (Tina) Sablan who is an independent candidate for the Senate seeks to remain true to her commitments – to encourage active and informed public participation in government; to promote the frugal and prudent expenditure of public funds; to prioritize the basic needs and long-term interests of the community; and to assist in the creation of an enduring vision of good governance and prosperity for the Commonwealth.
Despite the progress that has been attained on all these fronts, Sablan feels that there is still much more work to do. Sablan said that the popular initiative to apply the Open Government Act to the Legislature will finally be on this year’s ballot.
Sablan worked to keep the public informed and involved by sending out regular notices of House and Senate sessions, committee meetings, and public hearings as soon as they became available to her office.
She has also made an effort to publicize as soon as possible House actions on bills, including voting records and her reflections and reasons for voting as she did.
Sablan said that in light of the CNMI’s severe fiscal problems and her belief that legislators must be advocates for fiscal prudence and lead by example, she has managed the public funds allocated to her office as frugally as possible.
“I drive my own car, answer my own phones, make my own appointments, write my own correspondence, and research and draft legislation in collaboration with the Legislative Bureau staff,” she said.
Since coming into office in January 2008, Sablan said she has spent, to date, a total of approximately $615 of public funds for office operations, including office supplies and travel to Rota and Tinian on official business.
She has further introduced legislation to establish stricter guidelines for expenditures from legislators’ operational accounts; House Bill 16-266 is still pending review in the Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations.
Other Bills sponsored or co-sponsored
In addition to House Bill 16-266, Sablan has sponsored or co-sponsored the following legislation:
•House Bill 16-79 — as originally drafted, to reverse the legislatively-imposed electric rate of 17 cents/kwh, in order to enable CUC to stabilize its financial condition;
•House Bill 16-191 — the Commonwealth Emergency Relief Act, to provide clearer guidelines for the circumstances under which the Governor may declare a state of emergency;
•House Bill 16-86 — the Resident Foreign National Act, to create a new 5-year CNMI immigration permit category for qualified long-term foreign workers, in order to liberalize and stabilize the CNMI’s labor force;
•House Bill 16-277 — to amend certain provisions of Public Law 15-108, the Commonwealth Employment Act, in order to protect the due process rights of workers affected by the Act;
•House Bill 16-200 — to clarify and strengthen the Phosphate Detergent Act, and thereby better protect and enhance marine and groundwater quality;
•House Bill 16-267 — to create a new Marpi Protected Area;
•House Bill 16-274 — to clarify and strengthen the Litter Control Act, in order to improve enforcement of the Act for a cleaner and more healthful environment;
•House Resolution 16-100 — in support of the proposed Beach Road Corridor Improvement Project;
•House Bill 16-276 — to regulate the hours of operation of poker establishments;
•House Resolution 16-9 — to amend the House rules in order to provide full and fair public notice of all House sessions and meetings, and to improve public access to legislative records; and
•House Resolution 16-74 — to commence a special legislative investigation on allegations of public corruption against the Lt. Governor.
Legislation that Sablan has publicly supported and voted in favor of include the Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations Act (now Public Law 16-32); the Healthcare Corporation Act (House Bill 16-9, HS1; the Smoke Free Air (now Public Law 16-46); the CNMI Government and Public Deposit Safety Act (House Bill 16-4, HD4); the Attorney General Confirmation Act (Senate Bill 16-51, SD1); and legislative initiatives to prohibit the withdrawal of funds from the General Fund without appropriations made by law (House Legislative Initiative 16-11), to change the terms permitted for leaseholds on private lands from 55 to 75 years (House Legislative Initiative 16-4), and to prohibit any legislative increases in Retirement Fund benefits until all government obligations have been fully satisfied (House Legislative Initiative 16-13).
Sablan has also shown public support for the creation of a part-time and downsized legislature (House Legislative Initiative 16-7, still under review in committee); the establishment of a national marine monument in the Northern Marianas; the application of federal immigration and minimum wage laws in the CNMI; the adoption of a joint committee report rejecting the Governor’s request for an appropriation of public funds to support his lawsuit against the federal government; and the extension of U.S. permanent residency status and a pathway to citizenship for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and FAS citizens, CNMI permanent residents, and long-term foreign workers.
Sablan has also publicly opposed and voted against bills that I thought were short-sighted, poorly-reviewed, duplicative, potentially harmful to the community, or wasteful. In particular, she has voted against bills promoting shooting resorts and gambling (House Bills 16-31, 16-82, and 16-225); resolutions that opposed the creation of a national marine monument in the Northern Marianas; numerous appropriations for pet projects that were often passed the same day they were introduced with no fiscal analysis; and numerous bills, however nobly intended, that had been rushed to passage with little legislative review or public comment.
Priorities
If elected into the senate, Sablan sets her priorities on the following areas:
•To continue advocating for the passage of a balanced budget that prioritizes the basic needs of the Commonwealth and the government’s obligations to the Retirement Fund as well as its other debts;
•To enact legislation to support and facilitate the restructuring and streamlining of local government, working cooperatively with the Executive
Branch and utilizing federally-funded technical assistance that is available for such purposes;
• To improve local governance and create a more stable business environment by systematically reviewing, clarifying, and updating enabling statutes and management structures for critical government agencies, beginning with CUC, and by strengthening and formalizing the legislative confirmation process;
•To apply the Open Government Act to the Legislature, and assist in the development of rules and procedures to ensure the Legislature’s compliance with the law;
•To continue advocating for the granting of U.S. permanent residency status for immediate relatives of U.S. and FAS citizens, CNMI permanent residents, and long-term foreign workers, in order to keep families together and stabilize the local workforce;
•To enact legislation to protect and enhance public health and the environment, including the creation of a Marpi Protected Area, improved enforcement of the Litter Control Act, stricter prohibitions on the sale, use, manufacture, and importation of phosphate detergents, and the establishment of a simpler, more flexible zoning code that encourages orderly, sustainable development suited to the unique needs of our island community;
•To enact legislation to support and facilitate the development and implementation of a comprehensive energy plan, with the goal of creating a sustainable energy future for the CNMI;
• To continue building a long-term vision for the Commonwealth, and encouraging fresh, honest, and progressive citizens to enter into public service.
For the past weeks, Sablan had been actively convening weekly public forums in villages throughout Saipan to share her positions on the issues and goals for the next few years, answering questions and listening to the concerns of the community.
She said that the commonwealth is going through a serious and challenging time for everybody.
“Our Commonwealth needs trustworthy and forward-thinking leadership as much as it needs c aring, well-informed, and active citizens who will voice their concerns, hold public officials accountable, and get involved in the effort to make this community a better place to live and visit,” Sablan said.
She said she remains committed to realizing the collective vision for a just, prosperous, and sustainable CNMI now and in the years to come.
Sablan can be reached by email at [email protected], by phone at (670) 285-3935, on Facebook, and at www.tinasablan.com.
