Saipan delegation hears public support for House Local Bill 24-3; floor amendment offered

Members of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation heard multiple public and agency testimonies urging support for House Local Bill 24-3, a local appropriations measure that would allocate Third Senatorial District revenues under Public Law 20-59 to cultural preservation, community events, animal welfare and shoreline repairs.

The Indigenous Affairs Office, Saipan Humane Society, Saipan Agricultural Fair Association and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources all told the delegation the bill’s funding would sustain cultural programming, food-security efforts and essential community services. "Events like these keep the spirit of ranching and farming alive in the CNMI," said Lauren Cabrera, Animal Health Manager at the Department of Lands and Natural Resources Division of Agriculture and founder of the Saipan Humane Society. "In a region that is geographically isolated with a vulnerable supply chain like ours, local food production is not just cultural, it's strategic."

The testimony outlined specific appropriations included in the bill. Natasha Tumakani, acting secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, asked the delegation to pass the bill and highlighted funding for the Garapan revetment project, the Saipan Agricultural Fair and the Saipan Humane Society. "This revetment project is essential in preserving our shoreline, infrastructure, enhancing public safety, and supporting the livelihoods of our fishing community," Tumakani said. Rosemary Camacho, acting director of the Division of Fish and…