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House wants DPS chief on MVA board
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Posted on Mar 07 2006
The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would allow the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to sit on the Marianas Visitors Authority board of directors.
House Bill 15-44 received the unanimous vote of the House members in a session Monday afternoon.
Authored by Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb, the proposed legislation would include the DPS commissioner as a non-voting, advisory member of the MVA board.
The measure comes amid an increasing number of thefts and other crimes committed against tourists, which is seen as detrimental to the Commonwealth’s efforts to develop the local tourism industry.
H.B. 15-44 notes that having the DPS commissioner sitting on the MVA board would ensure that the department was updated on all tourist related activities.
“Such information will enable DPS to properly plan for the safety of tourists during special promotional events and will allow DPS to effectively collaborate with MVA on educating tourists about safety precautions while touring on their own,” the bill states.
Currently, MVA is governed by a nine-member board of directors. Five of these members are appointed by the governor with the advise of the Senate. The remaining four other members are elected by MVA members, which include representatives of airline companies, hotels, travel and tour agencies, and other tourism-related businesses.
MVA board members receive no compensation for attending meetings.
