Previous Story
Hours to sell alcohol extended at NMI airports
|
Posted on Jan 08 2009
Gov. Benigno Fitial signed into law a bill extending the days and hours passengers at CNMI airports are able to purchase alcohol.
Under Public Law 16-27 vendors are now allowed to sell alcohol within sterile passenger holding areas 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
Previously, vendors could only sell alcohol from 9am to 2am, and could not sell alcoholic beverages when an election was in progress on that island.
A sterile passenger holding area is defined as areas at or beyond the screening checkpoints, holding rooms and boarding gates. Vendors outside these areas will be subject to existing laws.
“The Legislature finds that due to the difficult economic situation the Commonwealth is currently facing, it is very important to find any means that will encourage revenue,” the measure states. “The Legislature further finds that passengers arriving and departing in our airports come from different time zones and should not be subject to legislations that are regulated by time or hours permissible.”
Fitial commended the Legislature for passing the measure “[a]s it not only encourages revenue for the CNMI government, but also for the vendors in the CNMI airports while servicing our outbound travelers who wish to consume alcoholic beverages as they wait to depart the CNMI.”
He added that it’s important the Department of Commerce, which will promulgate the rules and regulations, educate vendors on how to recognize when a customer shows signs of intoxication or impaired judgment.
The governor urged the Legislature to continue acting on revenue generating bills to help improve the economic status of the Commonwealth.
Rep. Joseph Camacho, Rep. Diego Benavente and Rep. Ray Yumul offered the bill.
