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Public hearing on lease extensions last night
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Posted on Jun 05 2018
A House committee is looking to hold a public hearing this week for a Senate bill that seeks to extend the maximum initial lease terms.
In an announcement last week, the House Committee on Natural Resources led by Rep. Alice Igitol (R-Saipan) said that Senate President Arnold I. Palacios’ (R-Saipan) Senate Bill 20-35, which seeks to bump up the maximum initial lease term of 25 years to 40 years, was up for public comments last night, June 4, on Capital Hill.
The bill was adopted by the committee at their May 18 meeting with a vote of 4-3, with Rep. Donald Barcinas (R-Saipan), Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), and Rep. Jose Itibus (R-Saipan) voting against its passage without a public hearing.
An even earlier committee meeting vote on the bill resulted in a stalemate of 3-3.
According to a previous interview with House Speaker Rafael Demapan (R-Saipan) on the bill, the House opted to defer action on Tinian.
He added that conducting a public hearing was solely the prerogative of the committee it was referred to, in this case the Natural Resources Committee.
In a previous Senate session in August 2017, S.B. 20-35 garnered unanimous Senate support.
Last night’s public hearing solicited the testimonies of the mayors of Saipan and Northern Islands; the Saipan Municipal Council; Carolinian Affairs executive assistant; the Northern Marianas Descent Corp. president; Department of Public Lands; the Indigenous Affairs Office resident executive; a representative of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands; the Saipan Chamber of Commerce; the Office of the Attorney General; the Marianas Visitors Authority; and the Matua Council for Chamorro Advancement president.
Members of the public were also encouraged to submit written comments through email.
