House committee resumes meeting on probe into BOOST Program

After several months of silence, the House of Representatives’ Special Committee on Federal Assistance & Disaster-related Funding will hold a meeting today, Thursday, in connection with their investigation into the previous administration’s Building Optimism, Opportunity and Stability Together Program.

Rep. Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan), who chairs the special committee, told Saipan Tribune yesterday that the meeting will be more procedural.

Committee members are expected to talk about a review of their legal authority to conduct a legislative research/ investigation, rules and parameters for conducting legislative investigations, supporting records, and what’s technically referred to as 1309 letters and subpoenas. A Letter 1309 in the Commonwealth Code refers to the acquisition of information by other lawful means. Committee members agreed last May to authorize Yumul to issue 1,309 letters and subpoenas.

At that time, Rep. Marissa Renee Flores (Ind-Saipan) stated that watching the previous 22nd Legislature’s hearings on the BOOST Program showed that a lot of information that should have been kept confidential were passed out.

In response to House vice speaker Rep. Joel C. Camacho’s (Ind-Saipan) question during the committee’s hearing last May, House legal counsel John Bradley said witnesses have the option under both U.S. and CNMI constitutions to invoke their privilege not to talk if they think the question will incriminate them. He said the summoned witnesses, however, have to appear before the committee.