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House OKs bill raising jail term for crimes vs tourists
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Posted on Nov 17 2011
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
The House of Representatives passed yesterday a bill that increases the mandatory minimum jail term for those who commit crimes against tourists or crimes committed within 1,000 feet of tourist sites. It took some two hours of discussions on a major amendment before members eventually adopted the bill.
Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Cov-Saipan) offered an amendment to Rep. Ray Basa’s (Cov-Saipan) House Bill 17-198, which, in essence, replaced Basa’s bill with the contents of Villagomez’s H.B. 17-236.
Basa’s bill initially sought to impose mandatory sentences for conviction of a crime committed against tourists, while Villagomez’s original bill sought to strengthen provisions regarding crimes that occur within 1,000 feet of tourist sites and recreational areas by establishing higher minimum mandatory sentences.
HB 17-198, House Draft 2 eventually passed the House by a vote of 15-0, with both Basa and Villagomez as authors.
Rep. Frank Dela Cruz (R-Saipan) offered a subsidiary amendment removing the 1,000 feet threshold, but this was narrowly defeated by a vote of 8-7.
Under the new bill, any person convicted of a crime against a person or property and that crime was committed within 1,000 feet of a tourist site, beach, monument, park, golf course, or recreational area, the court will increase the mandatory minimum jail term provided for the charge to one-half of the maximum term allowed under the law or five years, whichever is more, without the possibility of parole during the specific period.
The CNMI now solely depends on tourism to fuel its economy, after the demise of the garment industry, and lawmakers said addressing crimes should be a priority.
“Existing statutes regarding theft and robbery are not serving to deter violent crimes at tourist and recreation sites. Presently, there are no minimum mandatory penalties for crimes involving tourists or locals who are particularly vulnerable to criminals in remote and unpopulated areas far from police or security guards and close to escape routes in the jungle,” the bill states.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
The House went into recess until this morning to act on other pieces of legislation.
