By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
SENATOR Jude U. Hofschneider last week pre-filed Senate Bill 24-48, which seeks to include biosecurity in the Division of Customs.
If enacted, the agency under the Department of Finance would be called the Division of Customs and Biosecurity. It would remain headed by a director within the civil service, with professional qualifications including at least eight years of progressively increasing experience in the fields of customs and biosecurity.
Its personnel would be regarded as law enforcement officers engaged in enforcing the Excise Tax, Commonwealth Controlled Substance Act, the Weapons Act, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1991, the Customs and Biosecurity Act, and other local and federal laws at CNMI ports of entry.
The bill also requires that personnel of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Quarantine Section —transferred to Customs by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ Executive Order No. 2021-09 in April 2021 — be compensated according to the pay scales applicable to Customs services.
