SENATOR Edith Deleon Guerrero has prefiled a bill that would transfer the CNMI government’s Group Health and Life Insurance to the Office of Personnel Management from the Department of Finance.
Public Law 19-60 moved the administration of the program from the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund to the Department of Finance so that it can be operated more efficiently.
OPM, through NMIAC § 10-20.20402(b), was given the responsibility of “advising and counseling employees concerning benefits to include the group life insurance, the group health insurance, and the worker’s compensation.”
The OPM director consults with the secretary of Finance and other agencies when contracting an insuring entity or insuring entities to provide the government’s GHLI.
As proposed by Senate Bill 22-79, the OPM director, and not the secretary of Finance, would be allowed to institute an appropriate administrative structure for the administration of GHLI.
The bill also states that upon request by the OPM director, the secretary of Finance and officials of autonomous agencies would assist the OPM director with the processing of enrollment forms and other forms related to GHLI.
The OPM director would also be allowed to contract, after consulting with the secretary of Finance and any other appropriate government agencies, with an insuring entity or insuring entities to provide the government’s GHLI.
The OPM director would likewise be required to establish a contract procurement process for any contract entered.
According to the bill, actions taken by the Department of Finance with respect to the government’s GHLI shall remain valid until and unless modified by the OPM director.
The OPM director would be allowed to adopt rules and regulations to carry out these provisions.
S.B. 22-79 was prefiled on Thursday, July 28 and will be formally introduced to the full Senate body during its next session.
Edith Deleon Guerrero
