Composition

Composition. The youth congress shall be composed of members to be known as senators, to be elected from private and public high schools as follows: (a) Each private and public high school, with a student population of 20 or more that wishes to participate, shall have one senator. Source: PL 8-27, § 7, modified; amended by PL 11-18, § 1(d); amended by PL 16-23, § 3; repealed and re-enacted by PL 17-22 § 3(1604) (October 15, 2010). Commission Comment: Public Law 16-23 took effect on November 17, 2008, contained severability and savings clause provisions and the following: Section 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as "The CNMI Youth Congress Reorganization Act of 2008." Section 2. Findings and Purpose. The Youth Congress finds that: (a) Pursuant to P.L. 8-27 the Youth Congress shall have, in addition to others, three senators each from Precinct No. 1, Precinct No. 3, and the Northern Marianas College; (b) Only two of three positions given to the Northern Marianas College were filled during the 10th CNMI Youth Congress; (c) Precincts in the election for the 10th CNMI Youth Congress continued its trend and registered a low turnout of twelve percent; (d) Public high schools on Saipan each have over seven hundred students, yet are represented by only one youth senator; (e) Precincts No. 1 and No. 3 are allotted three seats regardless of the population of their constituents and registered voters; (f) The Youth Congress aims to maximize efficiency regarding the representation and participation of their constituents. Additionally, the Youth Congress election date needs to be deferred to a later date in order to accommodate new incoming students and to allow ample time for registration, to collect signatures on petitions, and other organizing obligations. Therefore, it is the purpose of this Act to ensure better representation to the Youth of the CNMI by allocating seats to schools with larger enrollment and population and taking from the precincts which have shown modest constituents and registered voters and moving the election date to a more appropriate date that is fair and reasonable.