Previous Story
House committee authorizes Yumul to issue subpoena, letters for info
Ralph N. Yumul
Members of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Federal Assistance and Disaster Related Funding agreed yesterday to authorize their chairman, Rep. Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan), to issue what’s referred to as 1309 letters and subpoenas in connection with their investigation into the Torres administration’s Building Optimism, Opportunity and Stability Together Program, as well as the American Rescue Plan Act funds.
A Letter 1309 in the Commonwealth Code refers to the acquisition of information by other lawful means.
At the special committee’s meeting in the House chamber, members approved vice chair Rep. Edwin K. Propst’s (D-Saipan) motion to request that Yumul receive from the House speaker all communications and bills that are related to federal assistance that are referred to the committee.
Yumul said they are not calendaring anything right now and that he will issue a communication should they amend the ground rules. He said the House legal counsel sent a draft form of the ground rules, but they just need to finalize it.
Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao (Ind-Saipan) said it should be a generalized ground rules because the rules may change as they move on in this process.
Attao said the one rule for sure that he will recommend to the committee is that any media coverage shall go directly to Yumul or his designee. Attao said no other member of the committee should be talking to the media.
Rep. Marissa Renee Flores (Ind-Saipan) supports Attao’s recommendation. Flores said watching the previous 22nd Legislature’s hearings on BOOST Program showed a lot of information that were passed out that should have been confidential. Somehow the confidential information leaked, Flores said, causing misconception or people to draw their own conclusion on an investigation that was ongoing.
Flores said she also supports Attao’s recommendation to have a generalized ground rules, specifically on how to address the media.
Acting House speaker Joel Camacho (Ind-Saipan) raised the question of how they are going to proceed if they subpoena persons or witnesses who inform the committee that they are involved in an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Attorney General or the Office of the Public Auditor.
House legal counsel John Bradley said witness have the option under both U.S. and CNMI Constitutions to invoke their privilege not to talk if they think the question will incriminate them. Bradley said the summoned witnesses, however, have to appear before the committee.
