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5 appointees confirmed
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Posted on Mar 09 2006
The Senate confirmed yesterday five appointees to different government positions.
The senators adopted the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations to confirm the nominations of John Edward Untalan, Gregoria F. Omar, and Alvaro Santos to the Marianas Public Land Trust; Elisa Long to serve as the public defender; and Ignacio Dela Cruz to serve as secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources.
Each of the five appointees had gone through a smooth confirmation hearing held by the EAGI committee, led by Sen. Henry San Nicolas.
The MPLT trustees will serve a term of six years, while Long and Dela Cruz will keep their positions at the discretion of the governor.
However, there is a pending bill in the Legislature that would make appointments automatically expire at the same time as the appointing governor’s term ended.
In related news, the Senate appointments committee will conduct confirmation hearings for three more nominees on Tuesday, March 14, 2006.
Ernest Williams, acting commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, will face the Senate panel at 10am.
This will be followed by 2pm hearings for Jerry Tan, who has been appointed to represent the business sector, and Emma S. Villagomez, to represent women and Carolinians, on the Marianas Visitors Authority board of directors.
“With the present situation our Commonwealth economy is in, please be advised the committee may have questions they want to address pertaining to the present and future operation of the department during the hearing,” San Nicolas told the appointees in separate letters.
He also informed them that the committee would entertain comments from the public and government entities.
