House speaker: House rules conform with OGA

House Speaker Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) maintains that there was no violation of the Open Government Act when the casino legislation was passed because the House’s rules conform with the OGA.

“What did we do wrong? We’re just following the rules,” said Deleon Guerrero in an interview with Saipan Tribune after last week’s hearing on a motion to dismiss Glen Hunter’s lawsuit against Gov. Eloy S. Inos and several other lawmakers for allegedly violating the OGA in passing the casino law.

The speaker explained that there are two types of notices: the 72-hour and the 24-hour notice.

To comply with the 72-hour notice for public readings, the Legislature just needs to post the notice at the administration building and leave it for three days, he said.

The second thing to do with the 72-hour notice, he said, is leave the notice on the clerk’s desk for three days without touching it.

“That’s what the 72-hour notice requires. It doesn’t say you have to publish it,” Deleon Guerrero pointed out.

With respect to the 24-hour notice, the speaker said they have to publish it and that’s the one they chose to follow in the casino legislation.

“Even though it’s shorter, we have to publish it so it reaches a wider audience, unlike the 72 which you only post on the door,” he said.

Deleon Guerrero said even though the 24-hour notice has lesser time, it actually reaches a wider audience when something is published versus just posting it on the wall.

“Plus you can’t act on it if it hasn’t been introduced at least 24 hours in advance. When we do have a session after it’s been published for 24 hours, we have a public comment period in which the public is given the opportunity to come up and speak on the bill,” he said.

The speaker said they will leave the issue now for the court to decide.

Hunter is suing Inos, the government, the Lottery Commission, Senate President Ralph Torres (R-Saipan), House Speaker Deleon Guerrero, and Reps. Rafael S. Demapan (Cov-Saipan) and Felicidad T. Ogumoro (R-Saipan). The defendants have asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

Hunter, through counsel Jennifer Dockter, asked the court to issue a judgment declaring that the OGA violations rendered the casino law null and void.

After hearing the arguments on Wednesday, Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman placed the matter under advisement.