Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said he disapproved House Bill 16-206 because the CNMI Constitution does not list land compensation payments as one of the allowable expenses under DPL’s operations funds.
Sponsored by Saipan Republican Reps. Heinz S. Hofschneider and Stanley T. Torres, H.B. 16-206 seeks to authorize DPL to pay final court judgments involving land compensation cases.
“Land compensation judgments usually include interest which is compounded until the judgment is paid in full thereby making it imperative that the judgments are paid as soon as possible. The Legislature finds that the Department of Public Lands has the ability to satisfy land compensation judgments,” states H.B. 16-206.
DPL is a semi-autonomous government agency which primarily gets its funding from the proceeds of public land leases.
But Fitial said DPL cannot use operations fund other than what was specified on the Constitution.
“NMI Constitution, Article XI § 5 enumerates the Fundamental Policies of the Marianas Public Land Corporation and its successors. Specifically, § 5(g) states that the department:…shall receive all moneys from the public lands…and shall transfer these moneys after the end of the fiscal year to the Marianas Public Lands Trust except that the corporation shall retain the amount necessary to meet reasonable expenses of administration and management, land surveying, homestead development, and any other expenses reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of its functions.”
