Saipan delegation to review local bill on poker fees

Members of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation are to meet today to reconsider its action on a disputed local bill that had sought to appropriate about $806,000 in revenues from poker fees to the Office of the Mayor of Saipan and other community concerns.

Vice Speaker Jesus T. Attao asked the Department of Finance to clarify how much total collections are projected from the $2,000 fees imposed by the Third Senatorial District on poker operators, noting that current figures do not tally with the records of the legislators.

He said that the delegation has estimated to realize more than $2.4 million from 651 new machines that were licensed when the cap on the number of poker machines on the island was lifted last year as well as from 244 that existed prior to the enactment of the law.

The confusion is expected to be resolved today when SNILD holds its emergency session to recall House Local Bill 11-21 that was passed by members early this month. following concerns by the governor that the money might not be there.

Apparently, the $806,000 identified from revenues have already been set aside by the Commonwealth to match federal construction grants under the capital improvement projects.

Inspite of this, Saipan lawmakers voted to set aside $250,000 from the revenues to the Office of the Mayor to keep 12 employees on board at least until September this year following serious cash-flow problems.

The funds have been made available to the delegation by finance officials, which also include the $256,000 allocated by SNILD to pay for land acquisition compensation Saipan and the islands north of it.

The Northern Marianas Housing Corporation will also receive $300,000 from the lawmaking body to match the federal Community Development Block Grants which will finance the design and construction of shelters for battered women and other victims of domestic violence.

Although the amount collected from the poker fees was way below initial projection, SNILD agreed to appropriate the money in efforts to prevent layoff of some employees at the Saipan mayor’s office.

The municipality earlier has asked for at least $240,000 to cover the salary of the 12 FTEs for another year after their contracts expired last January without hopes of getting renewed due to lack of funds.

More than $3.63 million was initially believed to be the revenues from the poker fees, but finance officials thumbed down the amount since collections will come by early next year.