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Constitutional amendment aims to boost MVA budget
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Posted on Oct 30 2008
CNMI House Floor Leader Joseph Camacho (R-Saipan) is poised to introduce a proposed amendment to the CNMI’s Constitution today aimed at ensuring the local tourism office, the Marianas Visitors Authority, has an annual budget comprising at least 7 percent of the Commonwealth government’s general revenues.
The amendment, H.L.I. 16-21, would guarantee the MVA’s annual funding and stipulates that any money remaining in its budget at the close of each fiscal year would be placed in a “special account” to pay for “tourism related programs and projects.” The MVA’s executive directors, it adds, would manage the account.
“The tourism industry is the primary industry of the CNMI and as the garment industry revenues are declining, it is more important than ever that the government invest in the growth of the tourism industry so as to insure the economic wellbeing of the CNMI,” the legislation says. “A thriving tourism industry will translate into more jobs, more business opportunities, better infrastructure and basic services, and more activities and facilities that can be enjoyed by locals as well as visitors.”
In an interview, Camacho echoed those sentiments, saying the proposed amendment will let MVA operate on sound financial footing without worrying whether its budget will be cut. The funding that the bill would give to MVA, he noted, is a slight increase from the amount it gets currently, which is now at roughly 5 percent of the local government’s general revenues.
“Tourism is basically our one and only economic engine right now,” said Camacho. “This will let the MVA focus on promoting the CNMI without having to worry about the budget.”
