TITLE 2: NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION 4: LAND RESOURCES
§ 4741. Short Title. This Act may be cited as the “Land Compensation Act of 2002.” Source: PL 13-17, § 1. Commission Comment: PL 13-17, which became effective July 23, 2002, contained findings and purpose, severability, and savings clause provisions. According to PL 13-17: Section 2. Findings and Purpose. The Legislature finds that the Commonwealth currently owes to its citizens approximately Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000) for land acquired by eminent domain or other legal process. The Legislature further finds that the current rate of repayment is unacceptable, and the prompt compensation for such land taking serves the Commonwealth’s best interest. While in the past land taking claims against the Commonwealth were settled largely through an exchange of public land, the diminishing availability of public land, coupled with other competing public land uses, requires the establishment of a compensation program to pay for the taking of private lands for public uses, such as road and ponding basin construction. The purpose of this Act, therefore, is to authorize the Marianas Public Lands Authority, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Development Authority, to incur public debt in an amount of up to $40,000,000, and to use the proceeds to settle and to discharge outstanding land compensation claims against the Commonwealth. Similar to Public Law 11-14, a portion of the liquid fuel tax revenue and the entire aviation fuel tax revenue collected under 4 CMC § 1403 would be reserved specifically for the repayment of the public debt authorized herein.