Reyes now voting ‘yes’ on casino bill but other senators still mum

Senate floor leader Pete Reyes (R-Saipan) said yesterday he now supports the legalization of casino gaming on Saipan, but only because he wants to help prolong the life of the NMI Retirement Fund which he says is in “intensive care.”

Reyes is the first of seven senators who killed a Saipan casino bill last year to go on record about his change of heart.

Sen. Luis Crisostimo (Ind-Saipan) was absent during a voting last year on Tinian, while Sen. Jovita Taimanao (Ind-Rota) abstained.

Taimanao, now head of a special Senate committee reviewing bills impacting the Fund, declined to comment on the casino issue.

Rep. Froilan Tenorio (Cov-Saipan), author of the first Saipan casino bill that the Senate killed last year, separately said yesterday that he believes there are “at least five senators” now willing to support legalizing casinos on Saipan as a means to extend the Fund’s life, restore the 40-hour workweek for government employees, and generate additional revenues for critical public services.

A new House casino bill is now with the Senate Committee on Federal Relations and Independent Agencies chaired by Senate Vice President Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian).

Hofschneider said yesterday that the committee has yet to meet to discuss the bill. He said he’s keeping an open mind, and declined to comment further.

Reyes said that besides helping the Fund, his support for Saipan casino operations also stems from his intention to bring back the 80-hour work biweekly among government employees.

He said he supports the bills and initiatives that the Senate is planning to act on next week but described many of them as “band-aid solutions.” What the Fund needs is a permanent fix, he added.

“I don’t mind saying that in the past, I was very adamant about opposing [Saipan] casinos but now that the Retirement Fund is in ICU, we can no longer maintain a stubborn attitude because this is for the welfare of the three islands, not just one island,” he said.

Sen. Ralph Torres (R-Saipan) said he has not decided on the casino bill yet, while other senators didn’t want to comment on it.

Reyes also said that while he now supports casino operations on Saipan, the pending House casino bill needs to be amended before he could actually support its passage.

He said among his proposals is to change the casino bill to ensure that a bigger chunk of funding is given to the Fund.

Tenorio, meanwhile, said he would like to see the casino bill also amended to ensure that the $10 million casino license fee goes to the restoration of the 40-hour workweek for government employees and the revival of the earned income tax credit, which he said he started when he was governor.

He said if he would have his way, he would also like to have the bill amended to help pay a portion of land claims.