HOUSE Minority Leader Patrick San Nicolas on Wednesday introduced House Local Bill 23-34 to appropriate a portion of the casino license fee paid by Bridge Investment Group, which now operates a few gambling tables at the Tinian Diamond Casino Hotel.
The bill proposes to appropriate $20,000 for Tinian Mayor’s Office for operations.
San Nicolas earlier authored H.L.B. 23-29 to appropriate a total of $507,750 in casino license fee as follows:
1) $447,750 to the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission — $411,750 for personnel and $36,000 for operations.
2) $30,000 for the Tinian Mayor’s Office.
3) $10,000 for the Tinian Municipal Council.
4) $20,000 for the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios signed H.L.B. 23-29, which is now Tinian Local Law 23-5. However, he disapproved the $20,000 for the legislative delegation, citing Article II, Section 16 of the CNMI Constitution, which states that each delegation is a component unit of the Commonwealth Legislature and may not incur expenditures beyond what is established every year in the annual appropriations for the Legislature.
The governor noted that the Legislature has a funding ceiling of over $6.7 million under Public Law 23-9 or the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Act.
Patrick San Nicolas
