Votes at a glance: Delegation approves three local bills including $2.5M scholarship and community appropriation

The Saipan and Northern Islands legislative delegation on June 18, 2025, placed several local bills on the calendar and passed three measures by unanimous roll call: House Local Bill 24‑8, House Local Bill 24‑12, and House Local Bill 24‑16. All votes were recorded with 19 members present and voting in the affirmative.

House Local Bill 24‑8 (passage) — motion: adopt bill to appropriate the remaining fund balances under prior local law for repair, maintenance, and improvement of recreational facilities in Precinct 4. The floor leader moved for passage; the motion was seconded. The clerk announced that with all 19 members present voting yes, the bill passed the delegation.

House Local Bill 24‑12 (passage) — motion: pass to appropriate $2,500,000 from revenues collected pursuant to Saipan Local Law 11‑2, as amended, for scholarships, sports and community programs. The floor leader moved for passage after public comment and debate; the motion was seconded. The clerk recorded a unanimous 19‑0 vote in favor.

House Local Bill 24‑16 (passage) — motion: reappropriate funds allotted under prior local laws (the bill text cites $2,626,000 allotted under Saipan Local Law 20‑26 and $25,000 under Saipan Local Law 23‑10) for specified precinct projects and other purposes. The floor leader moved to pass the measure; the motion was seconded and the clerk announced all 19 members present voted yes.

Roll‑call procedure and quorum: The session opened with the clerk calling the roll and the chair noting 19 members present, a quorum sufficient to conduct business. For each bill the floor leader offered a suspension of rules to place the bill on the day’s calendar; those suspensions were approved before the bills received floor action.

Votes and tallies recorded in the session transcript show unanimous approvals; the clerk repeatedly announced, “With all 19 members present voting in the affirmative,” when declaring passage. The transcript does not record individual yea/nay votes by name for each roll call; it records the final tally as 19 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain for each passed bill.

For transparency, the delegation’s chair and floor leader emphasized existing reporting clauses in prior appropriations and stated that recipients who fail to submit expenditure reports will be ineligible for future delegation funding. The delegation also noted that some bills were placed on the calendar by suspension of the rules and that one bill (House Local Bill 24‑15) was skipped because the author was excused from the session.

Listed actions below reflect motions recorded on the legislative calendar and the final outcomes as announced on the floor.