Previous Story
Bill to repeal and reenact casino law up for full House vote tomorrow
A controversial bill that seeks to repeal and reenact the Saipan casino law is up for a vote by the whole House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon, following the Ways and Means Committee’s prefiling on Thursday of its report recommending full membership action on the measure. A number of community members fear that passage and enactment of this bill will kill an ongoing petition to place the casino question on the ballot in the November elections.
Of the 12 committee members led by chair Rep. Tony Sablan (Ind-Saipan), only eight signed off on the report.
The committee said House Bill 18-195, authored by floor leader Ralph Demapan (Cov-Saipan), is necessary and recommended to correct ambiguities within Public Law 18-38 as amended by P.L. 18-43.
However, the committee finds that many of its members wanted to propose amendments within the committee and many others that are not committee members are also eyeing to offer changes.
“…therefore your committee agreed not to entertain amendments within committee level but rather during deliberation on House Bill 18-195 on the set House session,” the report said.
The committee said the CNMI is experiencing increased overall living and business expenses. It also finds that a well-regulated casino gambling industry will stimulate the economy and add much needed government revenues,
“Your committee acknowledges the potential financial benefits of establishing a casino in the Third Senatorial District but is also cognizant of the negative impacts it may have on our families,” the report said.
The panel also acknowledges that voters already twice rejected casino operation on Saipan, and some committee members feel that the question should be asked of the voters once again instead of passing legislation.
The committee said it is well aware that legalizing casino on Saipan is a divisive issue not only in the Legislature but in the CNMI as a whole.
