Committee backs rewrite of CNMI sexual-offenses law to expand protections for minors; opponents warn of overbroad language

The House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations on Tuesday voted to advance House Bill 24‑01, House Substitute 1, a comprehensive update to Title 6, Chapter 3 of the Commonwealth Code covering sexual offenses and the assault or abuse of minors.

Supporters said the changes close gaps in existing law and will help prosecutors and victims. Opponents, led by the public defender, warned the measure as drafted risks criminalizing consensual teenage relationships and would admit decades‑old accusations as evidence without adequate judicial gatekeeping.

The bill’s author and House floor leader, Representative Marissa Flores, told the committee the rewrite responds to long‑standing gaps in the law and to recent reporting of cases. “We can’t be telling our kids, do good, be good. Then we come over here and we do the exact opposite, because of politics,” Flores said during floor debate as she urged the panel to move the bill forward.

Why it matters: testimony from prosecutors, child‑protection staff and victim‑advocates described both rising reports and the particular challenges of prosecuting sexual‑abuse cases under the current code. Chester Hines, identified in testimony as the chief prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Office, told the committee HB 24‑01 ‘‘expands protections for minors’’ and ‘‘will help with the prosecution’’ of offenses that are often committed in private and lack…