The House of Representatives declared an emergency and unanimously approved House Bill 24-74 on first and final reading to appropriate $1,000,000 in interest earnings from the Marianas Public Land Trust (MPLT) for household allotments under the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) for November 2025.

The emergency motion was offered by the floor leader and carried by the House before opening a public comment period. Frank Emery Bolleman, who identified himself as secretary of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs (DCCA), told the chamber that “there was a federal guidance that came out that increased the amount of distribution from 50% to now 65%,” and asked that the bill language be updated to reflect the new guidance. He also noted the distribution will affect about 14,000 people.

During floor discussion, Representative Ata proposed a technical amendment to change the bill language on page 1, line 10, replacing the term “half” with “65% of the full benefits.” Members accepted the change as a technical amendment. The clerk conducted a roll call after the amendment; the clerk announced that all 20 members voted yes and the bill passed.

Members who spoke in favor thanked the governor, MPLT, and staff for working with the legislature to secure the transfer. The bill’s principal author reported receiving notice that the MPLT check has been printed and was being forwarded to the finance office for distribution to NAP recipients. Several members urged the Senate to act promptly on the measure and reiterated support for creating a standing emergency reserve fund to avoid similar ad hoc measures in the future.

The House record shows the body moved to miscellaneous business after passage, heard several expressions of gratitude, made routine announcements including a forthcoming Gaming Committee meeting on proposed amendments to Public Law 18-56, and adjourned the emergency session.