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Legislature OKs amendment to disaster ‘price freeze’ law
CNMI legislators approved an amendment to an existing disaster “price freeze” law that now allows the governor to extend the number of days that a price freeze can be put in place.
In a session on Tinian on Tuesday, members of the Senate approved Senate Bill 19-59, amending the CNMI’s Disaster Price Freeze Act of 1996. The measure was approved by the House of Representatives in an emergency session on Capital Hill yesterday.
S.B, 19-59 will now be transmitted to Gov. Eloy S. Inos for enactment.
On Wednesday, Inos requested the Legislature to hold emergency sessions to pass the amendment.
“In order to more effectively protect our residents from predatory pricing activities by merchants following Typhoon Soudelor, I respectfully request that you call an emergency joint session of the Commonwealth Legislature to amend the Disaster Price Freeze Act. At present the Disaster Price Freeze Act allows the governor to issue a price freeze for five days, and further allows one five-day extension,” Inos, in his letter, said.
According to Inos, a price freeze order was issued on Aug. 3 and was extended through Aug. 13.
“Price gouging has already been reported throughout the community. Without an amendment to the Act, I will be unable to extend this necessary protection for our community through the duration of our recovery efforts,” he said.
House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) said the CNMI law on anti-price gouging mandates prices of commodities to be “frozen” for four or five days after a declaration of emergency.
“But the AG is recommending that this be extended for the duration of the disaster declaration,” Deleon Guerrero said.
He said he will meet with Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres on other emergency bills the CNMI government might need.
Deleon Guerrero hinted of a sense of urgency at the Legislature, because aside from the emergency bills, the government’s budget bill also needs to be passed.
“The CNMI Constitution says we need to pass that bill by Sept. 30. We do not have too much time on the budget,” he said.
Sept. 30, 2015, is the end of fiscal year 2015 for the CNMI government. The budget remains pending at the Senate.
