Flashback — June 2000-June 2002

Lack of consultation irks PDO
[/B] Chief Public Defender Masood Karimipour has lamented the failure of the Legislature and the Office of the Governor to consult the Public Defender’s Office and avail of their expertise on issues affecting the criminal justice system. Even the Prison Task Force, he said, has not tapped the PDO in drawing up plans for a new prison just to make sure that lawyers would be able to have easy access with their clients when it is finally completed. “What is the use of spending millions of dollars if the most fundamental constitutional principle that apply to corrections will not be observed?” asked Mr. Karimipour.

The Omnibus Labor and Business Reform bill will be broken down into several pieces of legislation in the Senate for swift action by the nine-member chamber, according to its Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes. After today’s scheduled public hearing on Tinian—the last town meeting that began last Thursday on Saipan—members of the Senate Committee on Resources, Economic, Development and Program will immediately sit down and deliberate on the House measure, he said. Offered by Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, the Omnibus bill or HB 12-39 was passed by the lower house in March and has since been awaiting Senate action.
[B] Jun. 12, 2001

Army Corps told: ‘Produce PCB documents’[/B]

The United States Army Corps of Engineer failed to provide the Northern Marianas with copies of three documents on the remaining projects to be done in Tanapag. The three documents which were released early this month are up for comment. However, Tanapag villagers, the Division of Environmental Quality, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library are yet to be provided with copies. Comments for the three documents should be forwarded to the Army Corps in the next 30 days, which is scheduled to lapse on June 30.

The defense to an illegal gambling case has re-asserted claims that the Northern Marianas is a non-U.S. territory, contrary to a prosecution argument citing the creation of the CNMI as a United States territory through the Covenant. The defense enlisted a former official under the Marianas Political Status Commission to attest to its contention, in response to the U.S. government’s opposition to a motion to dismiss charges against suspected illegal gambling operator Qian Wu or “Queenie.” MPSC was the group appointed to negotiate the political status of the CNMI.
[B] Jun. 12, 2002

Tudela supports proposed local funding measures[/B]

Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela has shown support for a local bill that seeks to increase the local license fees for pachinko and poker machines on the island. In his letter to the Saipan Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Tudela said that “because local funding for the office of the mayor is very insufficient in the face of the increasing demand for services to the public by my office, I fully support the intent of the bill.” In related news, the Saipan Mayor also endorsed several local appropriation bills, in which source of funding are derived from Saipan Local Law 11-2. On H.L.B. No. 13-013, Tudela acknowledged that “this proposed Act would appropriate $60,000 from local poker fees for the installation of stop signs within Precinct 1.”

The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands is supporting none of the current proposals to amend the CNMI minimum wage law because not one adequately addresses the business sector’s concerns about the ramifications of a wage increase. According to HANMI Chairman Ron Sablan, businesses already hurting from the effects of the Sept. 11 terror attacks would end up closing shop if any of the proposals were implemented as currently drafted. “Many of us could not afford raising wages without resorting to staff downsizing, benefits reduction or even closing down,” said Sablan. “In the end, the wage hike would have a negative net effect on everyone, including workers.” Currently, there is a bill in U.S. Congress that would raise the CNMI minimum wage to $3.55 per hour, which would then go up by 50 cents every six months until it equals the federal minimum wage.