Rep. Rosemond B. Santos, R-Saipan, is asking the House to vote for an override before Aug. 29.
“I am respectfully and desperately requesting that you please override the governor’s veto. I have met with Victor Barrett [zoning administrator] regarding the governor’s veto and we agreed that the governor’s concerns will be addressed immediately after we override the veto,” Santos said in a letter to House members.
Santos said her measure, H.L.B. 16-28, does not prohibit poker parlors from continuing its business but rather to relocate them away from residential areas.
“There will be consequences that may be a cost to such business owners but such costs or detriments are tremendously outweighed by the benefits of relocating poker parlors away from homes. We all know that there are criminal activities that take place in and around poker parlors such as drug dealing, negligence of children, prostitution, etc. We must do our part to alleviate such illicit activities,” said Santos.
She said relocating the poker parlors will make neighborhoods safer and enable the police to immediately respond to reported criminal activities.
Further, she said businesses zoned together have the tendency to watch out for each other’s safety and welfare.
“More importantly, our constituents have been requesting to do away with poker parlors in their villages and around their homes. Please, let’s listen to them and act on their request,” she added.
