THE Senate, which will conduct the impeachment trial of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, has required all of its members to be physically present for legislative proceedings that will begin Monday, April 18.
In a memorandum to the eight other senators, Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider said their physical presence in the CNMI is required from Monday, April 18 through Friday, April 29 for their official participation in the legislative proceedings of the Senate.
Notices and agenda for such proceedings will be disseminated accordingly, he added.
Hofschneider said virtual attendance of members physically present in the CNMI is subject to approval upon written notification made to the Senate clerk at least 24 hours before the scheduled session.
The Senate recently adopted Senate Resolution 22-20, which amended Rule 4, Section 2 of the Official Rules of the Senate.
Prior to this amendment, members were allowed to appear, participate, and vote in a Senate session electronically using a telephone, video, or other electronic means provided that the member was physically present in the CNMI.
Asked if any of the members will be off-island or intends to be off-island during next week’s proceedings, Hofschneider said as of Wednesday, he had not received any notification.
On Thursday last week, Hofschneider said the Senate would proceed with its hearing on the governor’s impeachment — with or without the House impeachment record or a House prosecutor.
“We take this duty seriously and have moved with all deliberate speed to the goal of a hearing,” he added.
House leaders said the Senate impeachment rules are “unconstitutional,” and that their five-member team should be allowed to prosecute the governor in the Senate trial.
The House leaders also said that the impeachment record they submitted complied “with the letter and spirit of Senate rules.”
But according to Hofschneider, the House impeachment record was a “disorganized mess” that needed to be corrected.
The House had requested an extension of the Senate’s 48-hour deadline, which Hofschneider rejected, saying that the House “has had ample time to provide a record to the Senate.”
He reiterated that the Senate rules state that there will only be one House prosecutor.
The governor was impeached by the House of Representatives on Jan. 12, 2022 by a vote of 15 to 4 with 1 abstention, on allegations of felonies of theft, corruption and neglect of duty. He has denied the charges.
At least six of the nine senators must vote to convict in order to remove the governor from office.
On Friday, the Office of the Attorney General filed criminal charges in Superior Court against the governor over his first-class off-island travels and failure to comply with a subpoena issued by a House committee investigating his public expenditures.
