Attao is speaker pro tem at organizational session, Villagomez is floor leader pro tem

Lawmakers will be sworn in today to the 22nd CNMI Legislature in an extraordinary by-invitation event that is closed to the public in a nod to COVID-19 social distancing protocols.

Marking this event’s extraordinary nature was Friday’s coin toss—the first time to happen in the CNMI Legislature’s history—in order to decide on who will serve as speaker pro tempore (temporary speaker) during today’s organizational session.

Rep. Christina Sablan (D-Saipan) proposed the coin toss last Friday after talking it over with the rest of the Democrat/Independent team. Re-elected Edwin K. Propst was present at the discussions.

Sablan said yesterday that they proposed to settle the question of speaker pro tem by coin toss if the first vote came to a 10-10 tie, or there is no majority.

The Democrats nominated re-elected Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) to be the speaker pro tem, while the Republicans nominated re-elected Rep. and former Speaker Blas Jonathan T. Attao.

Re-elected Rep. Richard Lizama (D-Saipan) volunteered his quarter for the coin toss. House legal counsel Joseph Taijeron did the coin toss.

Going by alphabetical order, Attao went first and called heads.

Attao won.

Sablan said they then all agreed by consensus that Villagomez would be floor leader pro tem in today’s session.

Sablan described the coin toss as “kind of funny but was very collegial.”

She said there were concerns on both sides when the House legal counsel stated that, in theory, a speaker pro tem could serve indefinitely in a temporary capacity.

“So once we agreed on both sides that the pro tem would only preside for the inaugural session, deciding by coin toss seemed like the most amicable way to go,” Sablan said.

The inaugural ceremonies will begin with the House of Representatives at 10am. The Senate will follow at 11am.

For the House, Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro will administer oath of office for the 20 members. For the Senate, it will likely be Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja.

After adoption of interim House rules, House members will elect a speaker, vice speaker, and floor leader.

Perry John P. Tenorio and House clerk Linda B. Muna will serve as masters of ceremony.

At the Senate, Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian) is expected to be elected president. The senators will also elect a vice president, a floor leader, and a legislative secretary.

The Legislative Bureau said the inaugural event will be televised live on Docomo Cable, Channel 23, and will be streamed live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cnmilegislature in their respective chambers.

It’s a suspense at the House as the question of which bloc will be the majority is still as toss-up between the traditionally dominant Republican Party and a resurgent Democratic Party.

At the last Nov. 3 general elections for the House race, eight Democrats, nine Republicans, and three independents won.