House JGO moves two bills forward

The House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations adopted two bills, one to have local identification laws comply with federal law and another to transfer the expenditure authority of solid waste management funds from the Department of Public Works to island mayors on Tinian and Rota.

JGO chair Rep. Glenn Maratita (R-Rota) said his committee reviewed the lengthy legislation of House Bill 19-25, authored by Rep. Angel Demapan (R-Saipan), and finally adopted the bill with a committee report to be generated.

He said there have been no changes to the bill and they recommended for its passage in its current form without any amendment.

Demapan’s bill amends commonwealth law to comply with the federal “Real ID Act of 2005” to “make it more difficult for criminals to obtain multiple license or IDs” and to enhance the security of existing drivers’ licenses, according to the bill’s findings.

Maratita said the committee took in the consideration of the comments from the then Department of Public Safety commissioner James Deleon Guerrero, who was in support of the bill.

Maratita added the bill was sitting in the committee because they were waiting for comments from several government agencies but the mover of the bill requested that they act on it.

“With the recommendation and opinion of the legal counsel we went and adopted” the bill, said Maratita said, adding that the Real ID act of 2005 required all states and territories to comply with this article.

The JGO committee also recommended for the adoption and passage on the committee level Senate Bill 19-60, authored by Sen. Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian).

The intent of Senate Bill 19-60 is to transfer the sub-accounts of the solid waste management revolving fund sub accounts to first and second senatorial districts respective mayors, giving them the expenditure authority of the funds.

“We had a lengthy discussion. We had the opportunity to invite the author…He provided a brief statement on the bill,” said Maratita. “As indicated on the findings, it’s a pretty much simple amendment we are trying to make here. This is only to transfer the sub-accounts.”

The existing law allows the expenditure authority for all accounts to the be in the hands of the secretary of the Department of Public Works.

“The idea behind the bill is to allow for the mayor to be the expenditure [authority] for these sub accounts because the existing statute doesn’t provide that provision,” Maratita said.