Title 1, Government

Department of Commerce: Staff. The Department of Commerce may employ staff as required to assist it in performing its duties, subject to budgetary appropriation. Source: PL 1-8, tit. 1, ch. 9, § 7, modified; EO 94-3. Commission Comment: With respect to the reference to the “Depar…

Department of Commerce: Composite Price Index. At least once every two years the Director of Commerce shall prepare a composite price index report for the Commonwealth that includes a table which begins with data as of October 1, 1984. Source: PL 4-32, § 12; EO 94-3. Commission C…

Division of Labor. There is in the Department of Commerce and Labor a Division of Labor to be headed by a Chief of Labor. Source: PL 1-8, tit. 1, ch. 9, § 4, modified; EO 94-3, § 301. Commission Comment: With respect to the references to the “Chief” of the Division of Labor and t…

Division of Labor: Duties. The Chief of Labor shall be responsible for the day-to-day supervision and administration of matters involving labor. Source: PL 1-8, tit. 1, ch. 9, § 5. Commission Comment: With respect to the reference to the “Chief of Labor,” see Executive Order 94-3…

Title. This article may be cited as the Commonwealth Statistical Act of 1990. Source: PL 7-35, § 1. Commission Comment: PL 7-35 took effect August 9, 1991. According to PL 7-35, § 2: Section 2. Purpose. The purposes of this Act are (1) to make provision for collection, tabulation…

Central Statistics Division Created; Authority; Cooperation; Coordination of Surveys. (a) There is in the Department of Commerce and Labor a Central Statistics Division to be headed by a Chief of Statistics. (b) The Central Statistics Division is authorized to request, collect, c…

Roles and Duties of the Central Statistics Division. (a) The two central roles of the Central Statistics Division shall be: (1) To collect and provide information required by the Commonwealth government and its subdivisions for policy-making and program planning and implementatio…

Organization and Staff of the Central Statistics Division. (a) The Central Statistics Division shall consist of at least the following four offices: (1) Statistical Planning and Coordination; (2) Population and Social Statistics; (3) Economic Statistics; and (4) Statistical Data …

Censuses of Population and Housing and Other Special Censuses. (a) The Central Statistics Division shall be the agency responsible to plan, design and undertake the decennial censuses of population and housing in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of the Census, or the federal ag…

Confidentiality of Information. (a) Every employee of the Central Statistics Division, before entering his or her duties, shall take and subscribe to a statutory declaration to the effect that he or she will faithfully and honestly fulfill his or her duties as an employee of the …

Statistical Advisory Council. (a) There shall be a Statistical Advisory Council established as a consultative body to the Central Statistics Division on matters of statistical activities. The Statistical Advisory Council shall also recommend policies, programs and procedures for …

Authorization of Appropriations. There is authorized to be appropriated, out of the treasury of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. Source: PL 7-35, § 9.

Procurement of Professional Services. The Chief of the Central Statistics Division, with the express authority of the Director of the Department of Commerce and Labor, and subject to budgetary appropriation, shall have the authority to contract with educational and other research…

Penalties. (a) Whoever, being over 18 years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Director of the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Chief of Statistics, or any other authorized officer, employee, or agent of the Central Statistics Division, to answer, t…

Administrative Penalties. In addition to any penalty or liability under other law or provisions of this article, whoever, being or having been an officer, employee or staff member referred to in this article, violates the provisions of this article while being employed by the Com…

Enforcement. The Commonwealth Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over violations of this article. Source: PL 7-35, § 13.

Office of Foreign Investment Assistance. There is hereby established within the Department of Commerce an Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison, which shall be headed by a director appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce. The director shall hire staff and personn…

Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison; Duties and Responsibilities. (a) Primary Responsibility. The Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison through the director shall be principally responsible for assisting any foreign or domestic investor in obtaining all the requisite permitting…

Investment Incentives. (a) The Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison shall propose a comprehensive package of financial and non-financial incentives to encourage foreign and domestic investments in the CNMI. These incentives may include tax credits, exemptions or reductions, gran…

Streamlined Investment Processes. (a) The Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison shall coordinate with other government offices and agencies to streamline investment processes, including business registration, permitting, and licensing, to make it easier and more efficient for inv…

Promotion of the CNMI as a Trade and Investment Hub. (a) The Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison, in collaboration with relevant agencies and organizations, shall develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and promotional strategy to position the CNMI as a trade and invest…

Reporting and Evaluation. The Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison shall provide an annual report commencing on December 31, 2025 to the CNMI Legislature on the implementation and impact of the incentives, streamlined processes, and promotional activities, including an assessmen…

Director Hiring and Qualifications. Within 90 days of the effective date of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Commerce shall cause to be hired the director of the Office of Foreign Corporation Liaison Director. The Secretary of the Department of Commerce shall not caus…

Marshals Service Division: Establishment. (a) There is in the judicial branch of the Commonwealth government a CNMI Marshals Service Division, established by the Judicial Council, having the authority and responsibility to perform the duties and functions set forth in this chapte…

Marshals Service Division: Powers and Duties. The chief marshal and his or her deputies shall be deemed law enforcement officers with authority equivalent to that of police officers in the performance of their duties. Such authority shall include, but not be limited to, the right…

Re-employed Retirees. Notwithstanding any other law or regulation to the contrary, a Commonwealth Government retiree, upon re-employment with the Commonwealth Government, shall have the option to waive salary and instead continue to receive retirement benefits, if they would be o…

Waived Salaries. (a) All salaries of elected officials that are waived under the provisions of this chapter shall be re-appropriated and transferred to a Scholarship Trust Account and funds from said account may be spent for scholarship purposes only, without further appropriatio…

Legislative Declaration. The legislature finds and declares that all public commissions, boards, councils, committees, subcommittees, departments, divisions, offices, and all other public agencies of this Commonwealth exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business. It is th…

Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise: (a) “Action” means the transaction of official business of a public agency by a governing body, including but not limited to receipt of public testim ony, deliberation, discussion, consideration, review…

Right of Privacy. A person’s “right to privacy,” “right of privacy,” or “personal privacy,” as these terms are used in this chapter, and as guaranteed by N.M.I. Const. art. I, § 10, is invaded or violated when an intrusion into an individual’s right of privacy is beyond what is n…

Meetings Declared Open and Public. All meetings of the governing body of a public agency shall be open and public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the governing body of a public agency, except as otherwise provided by this chapter. The governing body sh…

Conditions to Attendance Not to be Required. A member of the public shall not be required, as a condition of attendance at a meeting of a governing body, to register his or her name or other information, to complete a questionnaire, or otherwise fulfill any condition precedent to…

Interruptions: Procedure. In the event that any meeting is interrupted by a group or groups of persons so as to render the orderly conduct of such meeting unfeasible and order cannot be restored by the removal of individuals who are interrupting the meeting, the members of the go…

Ordinances, Resolutions, Rules, Regulations, etc., to be Adopted at Public Meetings; Sanction; Notice. No governing body of a public agency shall adopt any ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, order, or directive except in a meeting open to the public and then only at a meeti…

Times and Places for Meeting; Emergencies; Exceptions. (a) The governing body of a public agency shall provide the time for holding regular meetings by ordinance, resolution, bylaws, or by whatever other rule is required for the conduct of business by that body. Unless otherwise …

Schedule of Regular Meetings; Publication in Commonwealth Register; “Regular” Meetings Defined. Commonwealth agencies which hold regular meetings shall file in the Commonwealth Register a schedule of the time and place of such meetings. For purposes of this section “regular” meet…

Notice. (a) The governing body of a public agency shall give written public notice of any regular, special or rescheduled meeting. The notice shall include an agenda which lists all of the items to be considered at the forthcoming meeting, and the date, time, and place of the mee…

Special Meetings. A special meeting may be called at any time by the presiding officer of the governing body of a public body or a public agency or by a majority of the members of the governing body by delivering personally or by mail written notice to each member of the governin…

Executive Sessions. (a) Nothing contained in this chapter may be construed to prevent a governing body from holding an executive session during a regular or special meeting: (1) To consider the selection of a site, or the acquisition of real estate or office or building space by …

Legislative Branch: Applicability. The Commonwealth Legislature, including all Commonwealth legislators and the Legislative Bureau, shall be subject to 1 CMC §§ 9901, et seq. The respective rules and procedures of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Legislative Bure…

Minutes. The minutes of all regular and special and executive meetings of such boards, commissions, agencies or authorities shall be promptly recorded and such records shall be open to public inspection within 30 days after the approval of the minutes of the meetings; provided, t…

Violations: Personal Liability Penalty; Attorney Fees and Costs. (a) Each member of the governing body who attends a meeting of such governing body where action is taken in violation of any provision of this chapter applicable to him or her, with knowledge of the fact that the me…

Violations: Mandamus or Injunction. (a) Any person may commence an act either by mandamus or injunction for the purpose of stopping violations or preventing threatened violations of this chapter by members of a governing body. (b) Accelerated Hearing: Immediate Compliance. (1) Wh…

Public Records: Availability for Inspection; Cost of Copies. (a) Within 10 days of a request, all public records shall be available for inspection by any person during established office hours unless public inspection of such records is in violation of any Commonwealth or federal…

Certain Personal and Other Records Exempt. (a) The following are exempt from public inspection and copying: (1) Personal information in any files maintained for students in public schools, patients or clients of public institutions or public health agencies, welfare recipients, p…