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SNILD could tap poker fees to help CARE
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation can tap poker fees to help the Commonwealth Advocates for Recovery Efforts fund its continued rebuilding efforts on Saipan.
In a presentation last Tuesday, CARE said it needs $650,000 to help the remaining 48 families whose homes were destroyed by Typhoon Soudelor in August 2015.
Delegation chair Rep. John Paul “JP” Sablan (R-Saipan) said the group’s other funding sources are either too insignificant or are restricted to fund other programs.
The Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance program acquires $3.1 million from the poker fees, according to Saipan Local Law 18-07. Sablan mentioned that currently, the poker fees amount to a little over $4 million. Minus the $3.1 million, that leaves the delegation with about $900,000 in excess for other projects.
“[The poker fee] funding is one source that can help,” Sablan told CARE director Jenny Hegland.
Sablan told Hegland the delegation would look into assisting CARE after this October, since the poker arcades in the non-conforming areas designated by the Commonwealth Zoning Board have until then to operate.
“I told them I would find a source of funding to assist them,” Sablan said, adding that he already informed Hegland that he “cannot promise $650,000.”
Hegland said in an earlier interview with Saipan Tribune that even though there are only 48 families left, she expects another eight months to a year before recovery is 100 percent complete.
“That means [another whole] typhoon season to secure all the resources. I am still working to do everything in our power to get the work done faster because we can experience [another] typhoon anytime here,” she said.
“While I am optimistic that we are able to help everybody and raise the funds, I wish [aiding those in need] could be faster,” she added.
Since its creation in late 2015, CARE has assisted 745 residents in need of labor or materials and has raised $2.4 million in resources.
