By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed its own version of House Bill 24-30, appropriating cannabis revenue for personnel, retirees’ pension, and the Micronesian Legal Services Corporation.
All eight senators present voted to pass H.B. 24-30, which now returns to the House of Representatives. Sen. Paul A. Manglona was excused, while Sen. Celina R. Babauta attended the session via videoconference.
Authored by Rep. Denita Yangetmai, H.B. 24-30 originally proposed appropriating the $372,442.50 in cannabis tax collections as follows:
• $84,268.78 for personnel salaries and wages of the CNMI Cannabis Commission.
• $156,856 for the Cannabis Commission Licensing and Application Fees Account, to be allocated as follows: $8,500 for utilities; $58,446 for office operations and supplies; $74,910 for equipment and maintenance, including IT and office equipment, office and vehicle repairs, fuel and lubrication, and yard maintenance; $15,000 for travel and rentals.
H.B. 24-30 also proposed appropriating the remaining $112,353 for the Public School System and required that 25% of appropriations from cannabis tax be allocated to PSS.
The Senate Committee on Fiscal Affairs, however, made changes to the bill’s proposed allocations. The committee noted in its report that Gov. David M. Apatang’s Executive Order 2025-005 transferred the CNMI Cannabis Commission’s authority to the Department of Commerce’s Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco Control. Although the committee agreed to fund cannabis commission employees who moved to Commerce, it decided to allocate a significant portion of the cannabis tax for retirees’ 25% pension share and for MLSC.
The amended version of H.B. 24-30 that the Senate passed on Tuesday appropriates the cannabis fund as follows:
• $84,268.78 for personnel salaries and wages of the Cannabis Commission.
• $156,856 to be allocated as follows: $100,000 for retirees’ 25% pension share; $56,856 for MLSC.
• The Senate version retains $112,353 for PSS and the requirement to allocate 25% of the cannabis fund for the Public School System.
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.
