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Enforcement of laws sought on double license plate law, heavy equipment registration fee
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Posted on Jun 05 2011
House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan) wants the Department of Public Safety to enforce a 2004 law requiring license plates both in the front and rear sides of all vehicles, as well as a Saipan local law imposing up to $3,000 in heavy equipment registration fee.
Cabrera said the CNMI has enough good laws but the problem most of the time is a lack of enforcement.
He said there are quite a number of vehicles plying the streets of Saipan with only one license plate number—at the back. But DPS issues only one sticker for the back license plate, and not for the front license plate.
“There’s a double license plate law but is not enforced. I will be sending a letter to the DPS commissioner regarding this,” he said.
Public Law 14-18, signed in 2004, requires Bureau of Motor Vehicle-issued license plates in the front and rear sides of vehicles. The requirement was meant to greatly enhance the ability of law enforcement officials to quickly identify vehicles and assist residents to recognize vehicles entering their private property.
Operating a motor vehicle that does not display the Commonwealth number plates is considered a misdemeanor offense, which entails imprisonment or fine.
Cabrera also said heavy equipment registration fee remains similar to that for sedan, for example, despite a Saipan local law requiring a higher fee of up to $3,000.
“There are lots of laws not being enforced. I also saw two DPS police cars with no signal light. Then there’s a pickup truck with “road test” license plate—for three months,” he said.
Discussion on these laws came about after Rep. Frank Dela Cruz (R-Saipan) said during Friday’s House session that the anti-littering law imposing a $250 minimum fine for littering should not be reduced to $25 as proposed by a pending bill.
He said he does not see any gain in reducing the penalty fee.
Dela Cruz did not sign off on the committee report recommending passage of the bill.
