FLASHBACK – Mar. 22, 2012

Governor gives OK for park improvement[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has signed a bill into law that will clear the way for the Commonwealth Development Authority to borrow up to $2 million from the Marianas Public Land Trust which will be used to improve the American Memorial Park. The law allows CDA to tap portion of the funds held by the MPLT for the much needed development and maintenance of the memorial park subject to the approval of Board of Trustees. MPLT, which has the expending authority over funds received from the United States pursuant to the Covenant and Technical Agreement, can lend only interests generated from the original amount.

The Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association submitted a written statement to Rhonda Schwartz, ABC 20/20’s producer, after the news group was recently in Saipan, from March 3-6, filming and conducting interviews for an upcoming national news program, expected to be aired around April 19, 1999. SGMA Executive Director Richard A. Pierce said he “wouldn’t expect to see anything much different from their suspiciously awarded portrayal of last year’s ’A Day in the Life of Saipan,’ aired last April in the US. We doubt there will be any shots of factories except their staged productions photographed through fences again or portray our destitute workers.” He added, “we asked to submit a written statement, but I seriously doubt they’ll air any of it. We’d give them $10,000 to read all five paragraphs, but it wouldn’t fit the ’broiler plate’ script they came in with.”

Full tax rebate on land compensation OK’d[/B]

A measure passed by the House of Representative yesterday will seek a 100 percent rebate on taxes paid on cash compensation involving land transaction between the government and private landowners. Offered by Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, House Bill 12-131 will compliment two existing laws that set the mechanism for land exchange and compensation by the government for private properties. But landowners agreeing to buy out of their lots instead of land exchange are required to pay taxes to the CNMI, thereby getting an unfair deal compared with those who want to be compensated with another property.

The Criminal Justice Planning Agency announces the availability of funds for the STOP Violence Against Women Act, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, and Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Programs. The CJPA office is the CNMI’s administering agency for the VAWA, RSAT, and Byrne programs. The program provides critical drug law enforcement and prosecution resources to state and local government. The BJA requires a pre-approved Program Abstract that meets the program requirements outlined under the Byrne Program 26Authorized Purpose Areas.

Medicaid expenses reach $10.7M[/B]

The CNMI’s Medicaid-a government health insurance-has been drowning from indebtedness to the Commonwealth Health Center, as Medicaid expenditures far exceeded the annual budget in recent years. “What we get from the feds-the $2.1 million for Fiscal Year 2002-is not enough to cover the cost of what our recipients have incurred,” said Helen Sablan, Medicaid administrator. Records obtained from the Medicaid office showed that expenditures for the FY 2001 reached more than $10.71 million, more than $8 million above the $2.01-million budget for the fiscal year.

The CNMI received a significant boost in tourism industry yesterday with Gov. Juan N. Babauta accepting a $50,000 grant awarded by the Office of Insular Affairs. Babauta said that, while he recognizes turning the economy around is costly, he is confident that “with extensive promotion and marketing efforts in place we can rebuild our economy through tourism.” Among other tourist -related activities, the grant money will be used by the Marianas Visitors Authority to conduct tourist exit surveys. Documenting such critical statistics have proven successful in past years, enabling MVA to make public policy and to continue to develop business strategies.