Saipan lawmakers heed admin request to hold off casino vote

The Fitial administration asked Saipan lawmakers yesterday to hold off for at least until today a vote on a Saipan casino gambling legalization bill, mainly to recommend tweaking the measure some more to give more flexibility to a casino commission in deciding on the number of licenses to be issued and amount of required investments.

Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation acting chair Rep. Joseph Palacios (R-Saipan) allowed the session to go on yesterday afternoon, but only to hear public comments on the casino bill.

Palacios then called for a delegation session recess until 10am today, forcing House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan) to reset today’s 9:30am House session to 2pm.

Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos met with House leadership members early yesterday afternoon in the speaker’s conference room to discuss the Fitial administration’s concerns about the bill.

Inos, in an interview, said the administration is suggesting that the bill give a proposed casino commission the “authority and the flexibility” to make the decision of determining the number of casino licenses to be issued and the amount of investments allowed “rather than prescribe that by law.”

The delegation’s Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations recommended passage of its version of House Local Bill 17-44 which allows up to four casino licenses to be issued – one reserved for a Northern Marianas descent corporation and the rest to all other investors.

Inos sat in the House gallery during the delegation session.

After the session, members of the House leadership met with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Inos to again talk about the casino bill.

Palacios, who also chairs the delegation’s JGO Committee, said he does not anticipate a substitute casino bill, but there will be amendments proposed mainly to accommodate suggestions from the Fitial administration.

Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan), author of the casino bill, said the casino bill will be voted on today. He reiterated that the bill has enough votes to pass the delegation.

Once the bill passes, it goes directly to the governor for action.

The Senate has been opposed to a local casino bill, and warned of bringing the matter to court if and when the bill passes.

Rep. Froilan Tenorio (Cov-Saipan), one of the strongest supporters of a casino bill, was prepared yesterday with his floor amendments.

His proposed amendments include granting exclusive casino license fee of $100 million, and imposing a $10 million application fee for each non-exclusive license.

But some members said these amendments may still be changed.

During yesterday’s delegation session, five members of the general public testified in support of Torres’ casino bill, citing the need to spur economic activity at a time when government employees receive a 16-hour cut biweekly and many others now jobless.

Among those who testified were former representative Juan S. Reyes, Saipan Municipal Council chair Ramon B. Camacho who spoke as a private citizen, former speaker Pedro R. Leon Guerrero, Liana Hofschneider, and Richard Hofschneider.

Reyes said he does not see any proposal other than legalizing casinos to save the economy, and to save the Retirement Fund, among other things.

“The Retirement Fund will be gone in three years, said a consultant… If you don’t act now, it will be too late… We elected you to make the tough decision,” he said.

Leon Guerrero, for his part, challenged everyone opposed to the casino bill to offer an alternative solution to the economic problems.