and the Legislative Bureau to public scrutiny.
Sablan, Ind.-Saipan, said she has collected about 2,500 signatures last week and expects the number to increase once she gets today more petition forms from other people who are also gathering signatures
The initiative will subject the Legislature, including the LB, to the mandates of Public Law 8-41 or the Open Government Act.
Apart from their monthly salaries, lawmakers are entitled to receive up to $155,000 annually in miscellaneous funds, which are not subject to auditing.
Lawmakers from Rota and Tinian each receive an additional $5,000 travel subsistence allowance every month on top of their salaries and miscellaneous funds.
Sablan said the people have the right to know how their elected leaders spend taxpayers’ money.
“The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created,” the initiative stated.
Sablan said they must submit their petition to the Attorney General’s Office this month for certification.
The AGO must then transmit the petition to the Commonwealth Election Commission.
According to the CNMI Constitution, an initiative petition must be signed by at least 20 percent of registered voters to be included on the ballot. It will become law “if approved by two-thirds of the votes cast by persons qualified to vote in the commonwealth.”
Sablan said people interested to sign the petition can e-mail [email protected] or call 664-8931 or 483-3935.
