Senate President Dennis Mendiola was the guest speaker at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
AT the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s general membership meeting held at the Crowne Plaza on May 7, Senate President Dennis James C. Mendiola said his priority is to streamline government services and continue engaging with stakeholders to drive legislative initiatives.
His plan includes “streamlining permits, modernizing corporate filings, reforming zoning laws, creating investment incentives, consolidating redundant agencies” and “requiring fiscal impact statements.”
Regarding the proposed suspension of zoning, he noted that it is a “controversial” measure opposed by the Chamber.
Mendiola was referring to Senate Bill 24-23, which would suspend the administration and implementation of the Commonwealth Zoning Code and the Saipan Zoning Law for five years, and dissolve the Commonwealth Zoning Board.
He said small businesses want the bill passed.
“It’s not just the Senate wanting to do this,” Mendiola said. “It’s the [small] business community coming up and proposing these initiatives. In essence they’re really the ones affected. We want to promote an entrepreneurial economy where small businesses [can] hire people, but the problem is, if we keep putting up all these barriers, it forces many of these businesses to seriously question the viability of their operations or whether they can remain profitable.”
As for “streamlining” government, he said it won’t necessarily lead to a reduction in the workforce.
“We’re not talking about terminating employees or removing government agencies, but rather figuring out how we can reorganize these agencies and streamline the process,” he said. “If it’s a resource issue, we can move employees. That’s how we can become more productive — so there aren’t 10 different agencies doing the same thing.”
As an example, Mendiola pointed out that the Marianas Visitors Authority, the Division of Parks and Recreation, and the Saipan Mayor’s Office are all authorized to clean up public properties. He called that a “redundancy.”
“How do we move that funding and try to figure out who’s the actual agency that’s responsible for that?” he said.
He said moving forward with streamlining initiatives would not be an “attack” but a conversation. “We sit down and figure out how we can make government services better,” he added.
In terms of specific revenue-generating ideas, Mendiola mentioned simplifying investment regulations, introducing tax incentives for target industries, promoting public-private partnerships, diversifying tourism (e.g., eco, sports, and medical tourism), and incentivizing remote work and tech hubs for digital nomads.
