By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Office of Public Auditor found non-compliance with citizen-centric report or CCR requirements among several CNMI government agencies.
Public Law 20-83 requires all CNMI government entities to submit an annual CCR within 30 days after the fiscal year, meaning submissions are due between Oct. 30 and Nov. 29. The law imposes a $50-per-day penalty for the first offense and $100 per day for a second offense.
In its audit report released Monday, OPA said 16 CCRs were submitted late. However, the office could not determine potential penalties because P.L. 20-83 is unclear on which entities must file and whether the penalties apply only to late submissions. For this reason, OPA included a comment in the report recommending legislative clarification.
OPA noted that since the law’s enactment in Nov. 2018, it has been unable to effectively oversee the CCR requirement due to inconsistencies. The office also reported it could not confirm whether CCRs were timely submitted to the Senate president and House speaker because no tracking schedule or log exists. OPA recommends that the Legislature consider implementing a system to track CCR submissions.
The Legislature’s website contains annual CCRs from government agencies. But according to OPA, 45 CCRs were not posted there; 22 CCRs were not on the Office of the Governor’s website; and 50 were either not posted on the respective entity’s official website or social media page, or the website or page did not exist or was inaccessible.
OPA also reported that 25 CCRs did not meet the four-page requirement. Of these, 22 exceeded the maximum length while three contained fewer than four pages.
OPA did not specify which agencies are noncompliant.
Under the law, CCRs must include the following:
Page 1: Table of contents and information about the entity, including vision statement, strategic goals, operational structure, and demographics.
Page 2: Performance report summarizing key missions, services, and outcome measures.
Page 3: Financial snapshot related to page 2, including costs for services and funding sources.
Page 4: Forecast of future challenges and economic outlook.
OPA said non-compliance can have several negative effects:
• Loss of public trust. Failure to report publicly on the use of resources can erode citizen trust in government.
• Decreased accountability. Without clear reporting on performance, it is difficult for citizens to hold officials accountable.
• Administrative penalties. Government entities may face financial penalties for non-compliance.
OPA encourages all government agencies to comply fully with CCR requirements.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
