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Inos’ SOCA reset for June 30
Gov. Eloy S. Inos is expected to deliver his first State of the Commonwealth Address before a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate on a rescheduled date of June 30, over four months before the general elections.
Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said yesterday he also accepted the Legislature’s invitation to address them on June 30.
When Inos delivers his SOCA, it will be his first since assuming office on Feb. 20, 2013. The initial SOCA date was early May but this was pushed back.
Inos is expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments, challenges, objectives, and plans, amid a recovering tourism-based economy. Inos is facing three other gubernatorial hopefuls in November.
Moreover, by the time Inos delivers his SOCA, retirees may have already received or about to receive their deferred 25 percent pension, if the Lottery Commission grants an exclusive Saipan casino license to either of two applicants by the June 19 deadline.
Once a license to exclusively develop a minimum $2-billion integrated casino resort on Saipan is granted, $30 million in deposited casino license fee will be released to pay for retirees’ deferred pension and to pay for the interest on retirement contributions that government employees withdrew last year.
The governor’s SOCA, expected to be held in the House chamber on Capital Hill, is referred to in Article III, Section 9 (b) of the NMI Constitution.
The last time a CNMI governor delivered a SOCA was on Jan. 8, 2013. At the time, some House members walked out of the joint legislative session when then governor Benigno R. Fitial delivered his SOCA. Over a month later, Fitial stepped down after being impeached by the House and before the Senate could hold an impeachment trial.
