Senate OKs $10M CUC loan, other bills during Tinian session

By a vote of 8-0, the Senate amended and passed yesterday a House bill authorizing the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. to borrow $10 million from the Rhode Island-based Independence Bank so that CUC could improve its water, wastewater, and oil handling services, among other things, to meet the requirements of stipulated orders.

During an afternoon session on Tinian, senators passed Rep. Stanley Torres’ (Ind-Saipan) House Bill 17-205, House Substitute 1, House Draft 1, Senate Substitute 1.

Only eight senators were present. Sen. Luis Crisostimo (Ind-Saipan) is still on medical leave.

Among the Senate amendments is to make sure that CUC’s $10-million loan will still need further review or approval by the Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission, said Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota).

He said the amendments also include giving the CUC executive director authority to act as a board of directors related to the loan, since there is currently no CUC board.

CUC’s $10-million loan from Independence Bank of East Greenwich in Rhode Island will also be used to complete projects on Rota and Tinian.

The bill says the loan proposal has the backing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill goes back to the House for adoption of the Senate amendments.

The Senate passed three other bills and adopted one resolution.

These include HB 17-36, HS1, which increases penalties for parking in a space reserved for the use of people with disabilities. Because the bill passed without Senate amendments, it now goes to the governor.

Senators also passed without amendment HB 17-72, clarifying the definition of certain taxable commodities, including tobacco and soft drinks.  The bill goes to the governor.

Senators also amended and passed HB 17-75, HS1, requiring all scuba dive shop operators and marine sport concessionaries to impose a $1 surcharge per customer who avail of their services.

The Senate also adopted Manglona’s Senate Joint Resolution 17-17, allowing the Office of the Public Defender to hire one more fulltime employee.

But Manglona and Senate Vice President Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) said they held off action on House Joint Resolution 17-36, urging Congress to recognize the longstanding ancestral rights of persons of Northern Marianas descent with respect to ownership of submerged lands.  They said senators wanted to further clarify issues in the resolution.

Manglona and Hofschneider also confirmed that the Senate did not act on the casino bill that the House passed on Tuesday.  That bill seeks to legalize casino gambling on Saipan.