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Senate committee hears bill to let CNMI join interjurisdictional corrections compact with Guam
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Summary
The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Government, and Law heard discussion of Senate Bill 24-24, which would allow the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to join an interjurisdictional corrections compact with Guam to house nonviolent inmates for rehabilitation and access federal education funding; no vote was recorded.
The Senate standing committee on Judiciary, Government, and Law held a public hearing Wednesday on Senate Bill 24-24, a proposal that would authorize the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to join the Assinomay Grama interjurisdictional corrections compact and accept nonviolent inmates from Guam for rehabilitation programs and training.
Senator Manny Castro, the bill’s author and a member of the committee, said the compact would give the Department of Corrections (DOC) access to training, programming and federal education funds that incarcerated people will be eligible to receive starting July 1. “If you have 200 inmates and they’re able to tap into federal assistance such as the Pell Grant, you’re looking at $1,500,000 that the DOC is able to tap into in resources,” Castro said.
The bill is intended to be restricted to nonviolent offenders, Castro said, and to provide resources for staff and inmate programming rather than permanent increases in the island’s prison population. “We are not gonna be bringing in any violent inmates,” he said, adding that individuals accepted under the compact would return to Guam at Guam’s expense after completing their sentences or programs.
Senator Ronnie Cavill, who took part in the hearing, said he supported the proposal and that it would help Guam manage overcrowding while allowing the Commonwealth to “maximize” its DOC capacity and receive funding to help the program. The committee’s chair, Senator Carl King Neighbors, opened the public hearing; Vice Chairman Francisco Cruz and other members also attended. The transcript shows the DOC commissioner was thanked for leadership, but the commissioner did not speak on the record during the committee discussion.
Public comment on the agenda item was opened and the committee recorded that there were no public comments. Committee members discussed that the compact would target inmates who have shown good behavior and an inclination to participate in rehabilitative programming. Castro also noted a separate, unrelated bill under consideration that would allow some inmates to earn money while incarcerated; he said that separate bill is not attached to SB 24-24.
No formal committee vote on Senate Bill 24-24 is recorded in the hearing transcript. The committee did adopt the day’s agenda and later adjourned by motion; those procedural motions were seconded and approved without individual vote tallies in the record. The transcript does not show a referral, committee decision, or final disposition for SB 24-24 during this hearing.
Next steps for the bill are not specified in the transcript. Committee members asked staff to clarify details during the discussion, and the hearing concluded with a motion for adjournment.
