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New law lowers CUC reconnection fee
Governor also signs scholarship, wireless service coverage map bills
Besides the Saipan casino legislation, Gov. Eloy S. Inos signed three other bills into law on Friday including one that drastically cuts the reconnection fee for Commonwealth Utilities Corp. customers. For example, the reconnection fee will now be $25 instead of $60 for CUC residential customers.
The governor signed Senate President Ralph Torres’ (R-Saipan) Senate Bill 18-30, SS1, pertaining to CUC, into Public Law 18-39.
The new law includes CUC commercial customers when it comes to offsetting the amount past due for utility services with the security deposit, prior to disconnecting utility services.
Under the new law, the reconnection fee for CUC residential customers is now $25, from the previous $60.
For CUC commercial consumers, the reconnection fee is now $75.
The governor also signed Sen. Pete Reyes’ (Ind-Saipan) SB 18-31, SS1, SD1, HD1, establishing the CNMI Scholarship Office as an autonomous agency. The bill is now Public Law 18-40.
“While I approve this measure, the Legislature must be cognizant that an amendment is eventually needed, whereby the language ‘of excepted service position without reduction in salary and benefits’ in the final sentence of Section 5(b) should be stricken,” the governor told the Legislature in his transmittal letter.
Inos said such an amendment is necessary because Scholarship Office employees will no longer be excepted service employees and must be afforded the salaries and benefits conferred to civil servants, as established in the Personnel Service System Rules and Regulations.
The governor also signed Senate floor leader Ray Yumul’s (Ind-Saipan) SB 18-4 into Public Law 18-41, requiring all commercial wireless service providers to produce wireless service coverage maps.
