Palacios enacts into law bill that appropriates $1.9M poker fees
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios has enacted into law a local bill that seeks to appropriate $1.9 million from revenue collected from poker fees, to the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Corrections, and other agencies.
Palacios informed Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation chair Rep. John Paul P. Sablan (Ind-Saipan) and House of Representatives Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) that he signed House Local Bill No. 23-24, Draft 1, into Saipan Local Law No. 23-07.
Introduced by Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao (Ind-Saipan) and supported by several other House members, the bill was unanimously passed by the SNILD last Aug. 31.
Under the bill, out of $1,932,000 collected from poker fees, $1,547,000 will be appropriated to Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance, provided however that $250,000 of that $1.5 million shall be reserved for SHEFA personnel and operations.
Of the remaining $385,000, $100,000 will be appropriated to the Saipan Mayor’s Office for personnel and/or operations; $50,000 to the Northern Islands Mayor’s Office for personnel and/or operations; $50,000 to the Saipan Humane Society Inc.; $50,000 to the Attorney General’s Office to pay for improvements at the Criminal Division Office.
Under the bill, $75,000 will be appropriated to the Saipan Zoning Office, and $60,000 to the Department of Corrections for the rehabilitation and upgrade of the Juvenile Detention Section.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios
