Saipan delegation passes $2.5 million local appropriation after widespread public support

The Saipan and Northern Islands legislative delegation on June 18, 2025, voted unanimously to pass House Local Bill 24‑12, approving a $2,500,000 appropriation from revenues collected pursuant to Saipan Local Law 11‑2, as amended, to fund scholarships, athletes, community organizations and other local programs.

Supporters said the appropriation will sustain scholarship awards and youth programs while several nonprofit leaders and coaches described immediate needs. Representative BJ Atau, the bill’s author, formally introduced the measure as an omnibus local appropriation. The acting floor leader moved for passage and the delegation recorded a unanimous vote with all 19 members present voting in favor.

The bill matters to the Third Senatorial District and other precincts because it directs local revenues into multiple programs that supporters said fill gaps left by federal funding reductions. Mildred Sablan Camacho, administrator of the CNMI Scholarship Office, told the delegation, “There are currently 174 applications for fall 2025 as of yesterday,” and she described the appropriation as “a critical investment in the future of our youth.”

Mayor RB Blas Camacho, speaking from the gallery, linked the bill to municipal services and local events and asked members to “work with the mayor” to keep community programs running. Kehlani Marie Bautadema Pawn, chairwoman of the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance Board, said her board “is in full support of House Local Bill 24‑12” and thanked Representative Atau for sponsoring the measure.

Other public commenters detailed specific uses they expected the appropriation to support. Henry Kyle Lobato Hofschneider, vice chairman of the board for the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance program (SHEFA), described scholarship recipients as largely first‑generation college students and said the program helps relieve financial barriers to higher education. Erlinda Cabura Napotee, a coach for the NMI national women’s fast‑pitch softball team, asked the delegation to allocate $60,000 to the Northern Marianas Sports Association (NAMSA) so athletes could attend the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau; she identified a roster of 17 players and said funding was essential to cover travel and competition costs.

Nonprofit leaders requested operating support. Carmelina Gumaro, vice president of the CNMI Women’s Association, asked that SNILD funds be preserved to sustain workforce training, mentorship and digital literacy programs that serve women and families. Guadalupe Ato, a board member of SHEFA and executive director of the Saipan Humane Society, urged continued local funding for veterinary and animal‑welfare services, citing limited federal grant access for territories.

Speakers also noted accountability expectations. Representative Marissa Flores asked for consistent expenditure reporting from organizations that receive delegation appropriations; the chair and floor leader said prior appropriations have included reporting clauses and that entities that fail to submit expenditure reports risk losing eligibility for future delegation funding.

The delegation placed the bill on the calendar, debated it briefly on the floor and then recorded the final vote. The clerk announced, “With all 19 members present voting in the affirmative, House Local Bill number 24‑12 hereby passes the delegation.”

The appropriation will be processed according to local procedures; the bill text cites revenues collected under Saipan Local Law 11‑2, as amended. Specific allocations to named programs and amounts (for example the $60,000 requested for NAMSA and the scholarships administered by SHEFA) were described by public commenters during the hearing but final line‑item distributions will be determined per the bill language and the implementing guidance the delegation directs to administering agencies.