Senate passes bill to revive public lands board

The CNMI Senate passed legislation Thursday that aims to put control over local public land in the hands of a board of directors rather than an appointed secretary, a change that is sure to see opposition by Gov. Benigno Fitial.

The Senate approved SB 16-42 in an 8 to 0 vote with one abstention and the legislation is now set to come before House lawmakers soon. Its sponsor, Sen. Jude Hofschnieder (R-Tinian), said the bill would bring much needed reform to the Department of Public Lands, which he added has become slow and unresponsive on critical issues like homesteading and commercial land leasing.

Moreover, he said the legislation would lend a higher level of transparency to DPL’s decision-making.

“To have a level playing field and to have fairness, people need to have a say so on our public lands,” he said.

The legislation would establish a board of directors appointed by the governor with Senate approval, composed of members from Tinian, Rota, and Saipan. The board would hold the power to manage public lands, with its members serving two-year terms. Hofschnieder said the legislation comes after DPL, among other issues, has seen little progress on its mandate to address requests for homesteads.

“On the land compensation issue, the homestead issue, these things have remained stagnant since the establishment of that department,” he said. “Every 18-year-old of Northern Marianas descent is qualified to have a homestead but there hasn’t been issuance of them. For every year you let those qualified applicants wait, they just keep piling up.”

However, Gov. Benigno Fitial will likely seek to dissuade House lawmakers from passing the bill, according to his spokesman, Charles Reyes. In an interview, Reyes pointed to instances of corruption under the Marianas Public Lands Authority, the board that once managed public lands prior to legislation that put control of them in the hands of DPL’s chief.

“As many people in the Commonwealth know, the MPLA was notorious for abuses and corruption,” he said, noting the exorbitant travel expenses and salaries the board racked up during its time. “We cleaned things up and removed the board. I don’t understand why anyone would want to reverse this progress.”

Reyes stopped short of saying whether Fitial would veto the bill if it reached his desk, adding only that the governor would likely try to “talk to” lawmakers on the issue.