By a vote of 15-0, the House of Representatives passed yesterday a bill creating a commission that will reexamine the CNMI\u2019s political relationship with the United States since the signing of the \u201cCovenant\u201d 35 years ago.<\/p>\n
That \u201cCovenant\u201d is the document that establishes a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America.<\/p>\n
After several years of trying, Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan) finally succeeded in having his bill pass the House.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad that after many years, this bill passed the House. I hope the Senate will also do the same,\u201d the author of House Bill 17-7 said.<\/p>\n
Vice speaker Felicidad Ogumoro (Cov-Saipan) said the bill\u2019s passage will finally give the CNMI an opportunity to reassess its relationship with the U.S.<\/p>\n
Torres\u2019 House Bill 17-7 creates a Second Marianas Political Commission that will reexamine \u201cwhether the people desire continuing in a \u2018commonwealth\u2019 relationship with the United States pursuant to the terms of the original Covenant agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commission will also reexamine whether continuation of that relationship is in the peoples\u2019 best interest, \u201cor whether some other political status would better enable them to fulfill their aspirations of full and meaningful self-government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Passage of the bill also comes two years after the federal government took control of CNMI immigration pursuant to U.S. Public Law 110-229, which also paved the way for the CNMI to elect its first nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
HB 17-7 will initially cost the CNMI $50,000 for the operations of the Second Political Status Commission.<\/p>\n
But during yesterday\u2019s session, Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan) offered a floor amendment that will change the initial funding from $50,000 to \u201cup to $50,000\u201d that is authorized to be \u201creprogrammed by the governor\u201d instead of the Legislature no later than 60 days after the appointment of the members.<\/p>\n
House members adopted Yumul\u2019s floor amendment.<\/p>\n
The Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations, which reviewed and recommended passage of the bill, said there\u2019s \u201cjustifiable reasons to support a Commonwealth return to the negotiation table with the United States in the matter of revisiting the areas of self-government and its political status with the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
HB 17-7, House Draft 1 now goes to the Senate for action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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