UNSUPPORTED by facts and history.
This is how the Marianas Public Land Trust described Senate Legislative Initiative 22-5, which proposes to give the governor and the Legislature oversight and appropriation powers over MPLT.
Authored by Senate Vice President Justo Quitugua, S.L.I. 22-5 would ârequire MPLT and its board of trustees to exercise transparency and accountability as a Commonwealth government entity, to provide for reasonable expenses of administration by law, and to require the annual operating budget of the trust to be approved and appropriated by the Legislature.â
S.L.I. 22-5 states that âthe governor and the Legislature must have oversight powers over MPLT in order to ensure that the trustees actions are made consistent with their fiduciary duties and in the best interest of the Commonwealth and the people.â
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Posing for a photo on Monday in the governor s conference room: from left, Secretary of Finance David DLG Atalig, Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, Â Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, Senate President Jude Hofschneider, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee Chairman Victor Hocog, the governor s authorized representative for the Super Typhoon Yutu disaster response Virginia Villagomez, and FEMA recovery office director Sheryl Cochran.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol