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House OKs elected AG initiative
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Posted on Jan 26 2012
The House of Representatives passed yesterday an initiative authorizing the election of a CNMI attorney general with major changes to the original version.
“We are inching our way,” Rep. Frank Dela Cruz (R-Saipan) told Saipan Tribune.
Dela Cruz, author of the initiative, said that passing it in the House is only the first hurdle. “It still has to pass the Senate. And once it’s on the ballot, voters still have to decide whether they like an elected AG or remain with the current system of having the governor appoint an AG. If voters approve an elected AG, we have to wait for the general elections to select from among AG candidates,” he added.
Dela Cruz’s House Legislative Initiative 17-2 passed the House by a vote of 18-1.
Only House floor leader George Camacho (Ind-Saipan) voted “no,” while Rep. Fred Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) was absent.
Camacho reiterated that having an elected AG would make the position “more political” because instead of pleasing only the governor, for example, the elected AG has to please or earn the support of all voters. He said it would also be hard for anyone to get prosecuted on an AG election year.
Rep. Froilan Tenorio (Cov-Saipan), who previously voted against the initiative when the 17th House first acted on it in November 2010, threw his support behind the initiative yesterday, saying he played a major role in revising it.
There are three major changes to the original version of HLI 17-2: One, the annual salary is raised from $80,000 to $130,000. Two, the election of AG will be held during general elections and not during midterm elections. Three, the elected AG is responsible not only for providing legal advice to the governor and executive departments, but also to public corporations and autonomous agencies.
The CNMI is one of only 10 remaining U.S. jurisdictions that still have an appointed attorney general.
Under the initiative, which is now on its way back to the Senate, the elected AG would have a term of four years.
Dela Cruz hopes the Senate will pass the initiative. His goal is to have the initiative presented to voters in November. If voters approve it, the first election for AG will be in 2014.
