CIP bill climbs final hurdle

Under pressure to fast-track construction of the new prison, the House of Representatives yesterday approved Senate amendment to a legislation appropriating close to $23 million in capital improvement project funds to set in motion a massive infrastructure plan in the CNMI.

Members voted unanimously to pass House Bill 11-380 despite whining by some representatives frustrated over non-inclusion of pet projects in the list from their respective precincts.

It now heads to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio for signing into law after nearly a month since House Ways and Means Committee chair Rep. Karl T. Reyes filed the bill in efforts to steer the local economy from the worsening impact of the Asian recession.

Its passage also came on the heels of mounting clamor to build the new prison on Saipan following last week’s siege staged by disgruntled inmates at the main detention center as well as a spate of jailbreaks in recent months.

CNMI officials have blamed the incidents to the overcrowding and obsolete facilities of the Division of Corrections, which has been underscored by a recent report from the federal government alleging inhumane conditions.

To hasten construction of the new prison estimated to cost $17 million, the legislature has given the governor powers to waive the local procurement regulations and allow sole source contract.

The House adopted a resolution yesterday asking Tenorio to immediately address the needs of the division, stopping short of endorsing a particular firm to undertake the project.

In another resolution, representatives also expressed concern over attempts by the U.S. Congress to take away 51 percent of its annual $11 million CIP grants, urging them against the move due to its devastating effect on the CNMI economy.

Next CIP list: Although the measure has been altered to exclude funding for the new landfill in Marpi and other projects, lawmakers vowed to reinstate allocation under the next CIP package.

Rep. Heinz Hofschneider said the legislature should replenish the $3.8 million reprogrammed earlier from the proposed dumpsite into other infrastructure needs of the island, which will finance the second phase of the $26 million project.

The amount was initially included in the proposal, but the Senate last week amended it to increase the CIP share of Rota and Tinian as well as to juggle the funds for other projects that were not part of the original list.

Representing the first batch of projects to be financed under the recently drafted CIP master plan by the island government, the final list included a new correctional facility worth some $10 million, improvement of West Tinian Airport and expansion of the Rota health center, among others.

Total appropriation amounts to $22.92 million, drawn from the $154 million committed by Washington under the Covenant 702 funding for the next three years and a dollar-for-dollar matching sourced from the local coffers.

Island leaders are hoping to tap the CIP funds in a bid to spur its economy battered by the worst crisis in years stemming largely from the fallout of the financial turmoil in Asia, its main tourism market and source of investments.

While the CIP master plan, which was drafted by a multi-agency task force headed by chief financial advisor Mike Sablan last year, has spelled out the 50 top priority projects on the three islands, legislators seemed to have a different agenda on which to spend the badly needed funds.

Minority Floor leader Rep. Dino Jones accused the legislature of ignoring the CIP needs of other areas on Saipan, noting that his precinct has not received funding for his projects.

“Do it in a fair way because we all pay our taxes,” he urged the House. “I am merely asking for your mercy. If I have to kneel down, I will.”