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House adopts local appropriation bill, appropriates $380,000 for delegation programs
Summary
The House passed House Local Bill 24-26 Substitute 1 to appropriate $380,000 from revenues collected under Saipan Local Law 22-06. The substitute spells out specific allocations for delegation operations, nonprofit support and cultural events; the vote was 18-0.
The House passed House Local Bill 24-26 Substitute 1 on a voice/roll call vote, approving an appropriation of $380,000 from revenues collected pursuant to Saipan Local Law 22-06. The clerk recorded all 18 members voting in the affirmative.
The substitute version, offered by the bill’s author, breaks down the $380,000 across several line items. Representative Ralph Yumont (author) described the allocations on the floor as including $200,000 “to go to carried out for their operations,” $60,000 for Navy Hill Backs at Corway rehabilitation, $50,000 for financial aid/scholarship assistance, $30,000 for the Saipan and Northern Islands delegation, $20,000 to the CAO office for Heritage Month and $20,000 to the Indigenous Affairs office for cultural heritage month. The author also asked legal counsel and the clerk to work together to make any necessary substantive corrections in drafting.
Representative BJ Atoll explained the $200,000 delegation-operating item in the substitute as a short-term, reimbursable cash advance to a nonprofit (referred to in testimony as “Caridad”), which is temporarily unable to access certain grant funds pending a single-audit report. According to BJ Atoll’s floor remarks, the nonprofit expected its audit outcome in October, and if those grant proceeds are released the nonprofit would reimburse the delegation for the advance so the delegation can redeploy the funds for previously intended uses.
The legislative process steps leading up to the final passage included a motion to suspend several House rules to allow first-and-final reading and the author offering a formal substitute (H.L.B. 24-26 H.S.1). The floor leader moved for passage of the bill; the motion to adopt the substitute was seconded and approved by voice vote, and the final passage was recorded by roll call. The clerk announced that all 18 members voted yes and declared House Local Bill 24-26 Substitute 1 passed by the delegation.
The substitute text and the clerk’s roll call are part of the meeting record; the bill will be processed according to House procedures for enacted local bills. The House did not, on the floor during this session, designate specific department implementation steps or give a timetable for disbursement beyond the reimbursement understanding described on the floor.
Votes at a glance: House Local Bill 24-26 Substitute 1 — Passage (appropriation $380,000). Vote: 18 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain. Clerk recorded unanimous affirmative vote.
