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Lawmakers to scrutinize 72-hour notice provision
Lawmakers are looking at amending a provision in the Senate and House of Representatives that calls for a 72-hour grace period for proposed bills and other notices in the Legislature.
Rep. George Camacho (R-Saipan) said the 72-hour grace period can cause delays.
He noted a typical “document work flow” where a bill is proposed, given to the specific committee for review, presented to a public hearing, and then reviewed again, before being passed.
In most of the steps, lawmakers should allow for at least a 72-hour notice before the next step is taken. “Those hours in between can pile up into days,” the House floor leader said.
He said he is all for transparency, but the allotted grace period seems to be too long.
Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan) echoed Camacho’s sentiments, adding that it might be time for a review of the 72-hour grace period.
Guerrero said the issue was considered even earlier. The lawmaker lamented that the grace period further slows down the Legislature.
The 72-hour notice came to light again after Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres, House Speaker Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), and House vice speaker Rafael S. Demapan (R-Saipan) admitted to violating the Open Government Act in the passage of Public Laws 18-38 and 18-43, also known as the Saipan casino law.
The admission was made as part of a settlement agreement between the officials and private citizen Glen Hunter, who sued the lawmakers and the CNMI government for not complying with the notice provisions of the OGA when the Saipan casino law was enacted.
The case arises from the passage of two bills—HB 18-179 (casino bill) and HB 18-182 (amendment to the casino bill)—by the Legislature, where the required public notices were issued less than 72 hours before the sessions when the bills were passed, or the agenda in the public notice failed to include both bills as topics for discussion.
Speaker Deleon Guerrero, in an earlier interview, denied doing anything wrong saying the “we’re just following the rules.”
