Lawmaker wants casino BGRT funds to help local drug court
Rep. Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) has authored a bill to include the local drug court as a recipient of funds collected and budgeted from the business gross revenue taxes paid out by the Saipan casino.
House Bill 19-193 amends Saipan casino law to add “Judicial Branch-Drug Court” to the list of agencies eligible for the BGRT funds from the casino.
Guerrero’s bill says that the drug epidemic continues to plague the CNMI and singles out methamphetamine hydrochloride, or “ice” as negatively affecting young people, families, and communities.
The bill says the drug court’s purpose is to implement rehabilitation programs for these individuals with drug addiction. “However, even with the enactment of the Public Law 19-14 and the numerous benefits it can provide to our beloved Commonwealth, the drug court lacks the necessary funding needed in order to properly carry out their duties to make the CNMI a better place,” the bill states.
The bill was pre-filed last Thursday.
