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No Senate action on casino bill until special poll is completed
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Posted on Sep 13 2011
The Senate said yesterday that it will not act on a casino bill until after the holding of a special election to get Saipan voters’ view on legalizing casino gambling on island.
During yesterday’s session, Sen. Ralph Torres (R-Saipan) asked his fellow senators to honor the results of the special election.
“Moreover, the Senate will not act on a casino bill until the results of the special election are completed and the sentiment of the public is heard. This after all was the sole intent of SB 17-90 which we passed by a 7-1 vote in our last session,” he said.
The Senate rejected last year a House bill legalizing casino gambling on Saipan.
Casino proponents in the House initiated introducing a local casino bill which passed the Saipan and Northern Islands and Legislative Delegation. The local bill is now with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, who is now also waiting for a new House bill on the casino to be passed by both the House and Senate. If the new House bill isn’t passed soon enough, then Fitial may just have to sign the local casino bill, said pro-casino House members.
But Torres asked his colleagues to let the voices of Saipan voters be heard first before acting on a House casino bill, which has yet to be introduced.
Tinian Legislative Delegation chair Sen. Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) said priority these days should go to the passage of a fiscal year 2012 budget bill.
He said the Tinian delegation is requesting to refrain from taking any action regarding the Saipan casino bill until the FY 2012 budget is passed.
Torres, at the same time, said while Northern Marianas College students under the current issues class of Sam McPhetres agreed to conduct a special election on the casino issue, such poll will be held with the guidance and support of the Commonwealth Election Commission.
The special election could be held in November.
The Board of Election and the Office of the Public Auditor are to be observers during the special election “and there shall be no cost to the CNMI government.”
