Saipan casino signature drive kicks off today

A core group led by retiree Dr. Jack Angello kicks off today a campaign to solicit at least 2,500 to 2,700 signatures within weeks so that the question of whether voters would like casino gaming to be legalized on Saipan would be included in the Nov. 6 ballot.

“We want people to sign the petition if they want to help the Retirement Fund, the medical referral program, student scholarship, [and] restore the 80 work hours and other programs,” said Angello.

The signature drive will be launched at 4:30pm today at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.

Angello, the first one to sign the petition ahead of today’s official launching, said he gave the first set of copies of the 22-page initiative and signature pages yesterday to Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.

Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan) said he will definitely sign the casino petition today.

“I’d like to ask the people to support this initiative and understand why we need this initiative. We need to generate revenues for our economy and to help our people,” said Torres, co-author of a House casino bill that the Senate rejected and author of a local casino bill that the governor vetoed over constitutionality concern.

Angello said they will also be giving members of the community a one-page “fact sheet” that lists the major points of the casino initiative, including how the casino revenues from taxes will be used. For example, to restore the 80-hour work every two weeks instead of continuing on a 64-hour basis.

“The CNMI taxes will be appropriated in annual appropriation acts. The local revenues may only be expended in the Third Senatorial District (Saipan),” the fact sheet says.

Besides business gross revenue tax, license fees and other taxes and fees, there will also be a 7.5 percent gross gaming revenue tax for Saipan.

Casinos are exempt from the CNMI poker machine license fee, the fact sheet adds.

It also says that local revenues, license fees and gross gaming revenue tax will be used as follows: 50 percent will go to the NMI Retirement Fund for payment of retirement benefits accrued by employees while living on Saipan; 20 percent will fund the medical referral program for Saipan residents; 20 percent for the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance Board; and other programs and purposes as determined by the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation.

Rep. Ralph Demapan (Cov-Saipan), co-author of the House bill that the Senate recently rejected, said he would like to read the full text of the casino initiative first before signing off on it. Demapan’s bill had required a $10 million casino license fee.

The 22-page local initiative that Angelo’s group is launching requires a $5 million initial license fee to be paid within 90 days after the license approval and $200,000 in annual license fee every year thereafter.

Three casino licenses are available: two for an existing hotel with at least 250 guest rooms, golf club resort or resort, and one for a new investment of at least $100 million inclusive of a hotel resort or convention center.

One other casino license is also available to a Northern Marianas descent corporation.

Senate floor leader Pete Reyes (R-Saipan), one of only two senators who voted in support of the House casino bill, said yesterday he has yet to see this petition but he said generally supports an initiative that will help the Retirement Fund, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., and other programs and services.

“I hope there’s going to be a unified Saipan leadership position on this,” he said.

Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan) said he would sign the petition, mainly because he likes the question to be placed on the ballot so that Saipan voters will decide for themselves whether they like casinos on the island or not.

“I would respect the wish of the people,” he said, adding that he is not personally supporting casinos and he has been consistent with his votes on casino legislation.

Saipan voters twice rejected the casino question; the last one was in 2007.

Yumul is also encouraging Saipan voters to carefully read the text of the initiative before signing them.

He pointed out some possible problem areas in the text of the initiative. For example, the initiative says of the five Saipan-Northern Islands Gaming Commission member, three will be appointed by the governor and two will be appointed by the Saipan mayor. Yumul questioned why the Northern Islands mayor is left out in the appointment of commissioners.

Yumul said it is also not clear whether the casino to be owned and operated by a Northern Marianas descent corporation is also required to pay the casino license fees imposed on the other non-NMD investors.