Previous Story
Committee to hold hearing on pot bill
A House committee has announced its intent to conduct a public hearing on the marijuana legalization bill next week.
Rep. Ivan A. Blanco (R-Saipan), who chairs the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations, announced days after adopting Sen. Sixto Igisomar’s (R-Saipan) Senate Bill 20-62 that his committee would hold a public hearing the next Tuesday at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Building in Susupe.
Blanco’s committee had voted to adopt S.B. 20-62 to allow for House action. Rep. John Paul Sablan (R-Saipan) told Saipan Tribune in a previous interview on a separate topic said the House is tentatively scheduled to meet some time next week.
Rep. Frank Aguon (R-Saipan), Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), Rep. Jose Itibus (R-Saipan), and Blanco voted for S.B. 20-62’s adoption. Rep. Lorenzo I. Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) attended the meeting as a non-voting member, while the Senate legal counsel as well as Igisomar was present during the committee meeting discussions prior its adoption.
The meeting was also dissolved into a whole to allow for technical amendments to the bill that were discussed between both the House and Senate legal counsel, Blanco said in a previous interview.
JGO conducted a prior public hearing last Tuesday at the House chamber on Capital Hill.
“To accommodate those who did not get a chance to provide comments on the bill to regulate cannabis in the CNMI, the Committee on JGO invites and welcomes your input. Please join us,” said Blanco in a social media posting.
He said in the same post that the official announcement for the public hearing would be “issued shortly” and that the public hearing would be held on June 5, 5:30pm at the Multi-Purpose building in Susupe.
Those wishing to email their comments may address it to rep.blanco@cnmileg.gov.mp and hand-deliver written letters to his office on Capital Hill.
