TITLE 1: GOVERNMENT DIVISION 2: EXECUTIVE BRANCH
§ 25201. Collection of Fines at the Ports of Entry. The Department of Finance specifically the Division of Customs is hereby vested with the authority to collect and keep all fines imposed on businesses and individuals at the ports of entry for but not limited to training, operations and personnel costs associated with the Division’s mission to improve services and the fight on the ice epidemic in the Commonwealth. Such funds shall not be subject to reprogramming. Provided further that the Division of Customs shall create rules and regulations to standardize fines and to regulate such fines. The expenditure authority of all the collections shall be the Secretary of Finance in consultation with the Director of the Division of Customs or his/her designee. Source: PL 19-19, § 2(101) (Nov. 7, 2015), modified. Commission Comment: PL 19-19 (Nov. 7, 2015) included the following Findings section in addition to severability and savings clauses: Section 1. Findings. The Legislature finds that certain businesses within the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are being dishonest in their declaration when importing goods to be more profitable and to gain a competitive edge against other businesses in the CNMI. The Legislature finds that the Division of Customs under the Department of Finance is task to protect our borders and to assess goods and commodities at our ports of entry. The Legislature finds that the Division of Customs is currently relying strictly on man power to investigate and assess all containers at the seaport and each package at the airport(s) and post office(s). Additionally, the Legislature finds that the lack of proper equipment within the Division of Customs adds up to man power hours which relate to overtime payment that businesses would rather avoid paying and delays clearance at the ports of entry. Furthermore, the Legislature finds that Division of Customs has been given the gravest responsibility to protect not just our borders but to make sure that goods and commodities entering the commonwealth are safe. The Legislature finds that in addition to protecting our borders, the Division of Customs is an integral part of a task force that is fighting the ice epidemic within the CNMI. Therefore, the intent of this Act is to vest the Department of Finance specifically the Division of Customs with all the fines collected at the ports of entry of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Commission created this article and numbered the sections pursuant to 1 CMC § 3806(a) and (b). The Commission capitalized “fines,” “ports,” and “entry” in the section title and “division’s” in the body of the section pursuant to 1 CMC § 3806(f).