HOUSE AGENDA

The House of Representatives yesterday disposed of several resolutions and some pending bills in its session yesterday which was highlighted by a grim financial report presented by administration officials. (See related story)

Members referred to a committee for review a resolution proposed by Rep. Frank Cepeda requesting government personnel earning more than $30,000 a year to donate 10 percent of their income to the government scholarship program.

Rep. Heinz Hofschneider, chair of the Health, Education and Welfare Committee, said adopting the resolution is tantamount to forcing public sector employees to part with a portion of their salary.

“Someone smarter out there will probably tell us to put where your mouth is,” he told the four-hour session. “The implication of our move is drastic, frustrating, ill-though approach to our responsibility.”

Cepeda’s proposal was triggered in large part by reports of zero funding for the financial aid program, particularly to the students of the cash-strapped Northern Marianas College who have asked the government for additional $570,000 in scholarship money for this spring semester.

A bill, meanwhile, was introduced by Rep. Benet Seman seeking to cap educational assistance for off-island students by a maximum of $15,000 annually per student in a bid to prevent shortfall in the entire CNMI scholarship program.

It is expected to be discussed in the resumption of the session today.

The following were passed or adopted by House members yesterday:

•S.B. 11-96, transferring the function of business licensing from the Department of Commerce to the Department of Finance (for governor’s consideration);

•SB 11-105, requiring male residents in the CNMI between the ages of 18 to 25 to sign up for the Selective Service System of the U.S. military, which narrowly passed the House (for governor’s consideration);

•HB 11-322, regulating finance companies on the island (for Senate action);

•HR 11-121, requesting the governor to solicit the assistance of the U.S. Department of the Interior secretary to identify less labor intensive American industries and encourage them to invest here;

•HR 11-125, banning smoking within the premises of the legislature;

•HJR 11-42, thanking Japan Airlines for its years of dedicated air service to the CNMI, for its recent efforts to attract more tourist and urging them to establish regular flights from Nagoya to Saipan in April;

•SJR 11-12, affirming the responsibilities of the individual members of the legislature for expenses they authorize and commit and indemnifying the Finance Secretary from any liability for disbursing payments for such legislative expenditures.