SAIPAN - Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Gov. Arnold I. Palacios has signed into law a local appropriation bill that allocates $1 million to Northern Marianas College. The funding source is the dividend that the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority collected from the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., which CEDA partly owns.
Authored by CNMI Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao, CNMI House Local Bill 23-8 is now Saipan Local Law 23-2. It allots $1 million for the construction of NMC's Finasisu Lane, including water lines, wastewater lines and other infrastructure.
The governor also signed CNMI Rep. Julie Marie Ogo's House Local Bill 23-3, which is now Rota Local Law 23-1, to appropriate $199,674 in earned bond interest collected on Rota for the construction of shower facilities at Teteto Beach and East Harbor Marina; the renovation of the Guato Beach restroom; the construction of a toilet and shower stall at Veterans Memorial; the renovation of the Songsong sports facility; the purchase of equipment for the Department of Public Works on Rota; and the renovations of the Rota guesthouses on Navy Hill and Fina Sisu on Saipan.
Vetoed
The governor vetoed CNMI Rep. Patrick San Nicolas' House Local Bill 23-6 which proposes to re-appropriate a total of $62,518 in gambling revenues for the Tinian Mayor's Office and the Tinian Athletic Sports Association.
In his veto message, the governor informed the Tinian and Aguigan Legislative Delegation chair, CNMI Sen. Karl King Nabors, and CNMI Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez that, according to the Department of Finance, as of April 10, 2023, “insufficient funds exist to cover the appropriation set forth in House Bill 23-6."
