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Political status commission OKs budget, schedules
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Posted on Jul 31 2019
The 2nd Marianas Political Status Commission convened last Monday to discuss their budget and finalize their meeting schedules as they take steps toward submitting a final report next year.
The nine-man MPSC, chaired by former senator Pete S. Reyes, adjourned after confirming their budget of $150,000 for the year while also finalizing a schedule to convene every month.
The commission also decided to hire an administrative assistant to help with the task of reviewing and researching whether it is favorable for CNMI residents to continue their political union with the U.S.
According to Reyes, the commission barely had a quorum of five after he was late for the meeting due to the unexpected rain in the Capitaol Hill area.
“…If I did not come or if one other member did not come, we wouldn’t have had a quorum to establish the meeting. I am telling [the members] that we are going to have a schedule that they would have to set in their plans,” he told Saipan Tribune.
According to Reyes, some of the members work for the government, so off-island trips are sometimes unavoidable. “I wanted to make sure that those trips are not in conflict with our meetings,” he said.
The commission also approved a budget for their task. Reyes noted that while the commissioners are not compensated for their work, the administrative assistant’s salary is already included in their $150,000 budget.
Monday’s meeting marked their fifth meeting since the commission’s formation. They have an extended deadline to conduct research on all islands to decide whether it is still favorable for the CNMI to remain in its current political relationship with the U.S. or not.
“The statute gave us two years to do that,” he said, noting that their amended deadline would be in the latter part of 2020. “We were extended because, at the time the commission was [created], we did not have any funding.”
The MPSC was created in 2017 and conducted their first official organizational meeting in February 2019.
“If there are no more typhoons and no natural disasters that would interfere with our schedules, I am confident we will meet that deadline,” Reyes said.
