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Senate gaming committee rejects governor's order transferring casino oversight to lottery commission
Summary
The Senate Standing Committee on Gaming voted 4-0 to reject Executive Order 2025-02, after legal counsel told members the order likely exceeded the governor's authority by changing statutory duties and agency structure.
The Senate Standing Committee on Gaming voted 4-0 to reject Executive Order 2025-02, which would transfer supervision of casino gaming from the Commonwealth Casino Commission to the Commonwealth Lottery Commission.
The committee approved the rejection after Antoinette Villagomez, legal counsel to the legislature, told members the executive order appears to alter statutory duties and create an administrative framework the governor cannot lawfully establish by executive order. "The governor cannot legislate by executive order," Villagomez said, citing CNMI case law that limits executive reorganization powers.
The committee's action matters because the order would change how casino oversight is organized and how commissioners are appointed and removed. "The order attempts to transfer the duties and responsibilities of the casino commission to the lottery commission," Villagomez told the committee, and in her analysis she identified conflicts with provisions in the CNMI Constitution…
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