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House finds $150,000 for drug court
A bill co-sponsored by Reps. Antonio Sablan (R-Saipan) and Angel Demapan (R-Saipan) to fund the local drug court program was passed by the House of Representatives in a unanimous vote last Friday.
House Bill 19-40,HD1 amends last year’s budget law to allocate $150,000 to the newly established drug court.
Of the $150,000 to the drug court, $125,000 will be re-allocated to Superior Court for drug court personnel.
The bill amends appropriations for the judicial branch “to ensure that the CNMI Drug Court is properly funded to effectuate a collaborative non-adversarial system to effect the rehabilitation and recovery of drug offenders through continuous drug court monitoring, regular drug testing, and holistic drug dependency treatment.”
The bill has been sent to the Senate for passage.
The bill passed on first and final reading last Friday.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres signed the law to establish a drug court program last October.
Implementation of a drug court allows the CNMI to join Guam and the 50 other states, all which have drug courts, in a collaborative effort to address the devastating effects of crime in the CNMI’s families and communities.
