House amends and passes bill to direct public-land revenues to Marianas Public Land Trust

The House passed House Bill 24-8 on first and final reading after adopting a floor amendment that clarifies timing for remittance of public land revenues to the Marianas Public Land Trust (MPLT) and requires quarterly reporting by the Department of Public Lands.

Floor leader sponsors proposed a floor amendment to 1 CMC §2803(c)(2) and §2803(g), adding a requirement that "at the end of each fiscal year and no later than October 31, the funds within MPLT remittance fund shall be remitted to the Marianas Public Land Trust in full in accordance with the Northern Mariana Islands Constitution Article 11, Section 6." The amendment also added a reporting requirement: "Within 30 calendar days after the end of each fiscal quarter, the DPL secretary shall provide MPLT and the legislature a detailed report of all revenues collected during that quarter."

The amendment was offered, seconded and adopted by voice vote; the main motion to pass the bill as amended carried on a roll call with 17 members voting yes. Supporters said the change ensures public-land revenues are invested by the trust as required by the constitution and increases transparency of quarterly revenue flows.

Representative remarks referenced Article 11, Section 6 of the CNMI constitution and 1 CMC §2803 as the statutory context for how public land revenues should be managed. Members requested implementing guidance from the Department of Public Lands (DPL) to operationalize remittance and reporting timelines.

The House clerk recorded the passage; no judicial or executive approvals are recorded in the session minutes. The measure will proceed to any next steps required for enactment.