Title 1, Government

Presiding Judge. (a) The Presiding Judge of the Superior Court shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. (b) The Presiding Judge shall distribute the business of the Superior Court among the judges of the Superior Court and prescribe the order …

Establishment of Family Court. There is hereby established within the Commonwealth Superior Court a Family Court which, upon appropriation by the legislature, shall handle family legal matters including, but not limited to, adoption proceedings, child support, divorce, paternity,…

Child Support Guidelines. The Commonwealth Superior Court is hereby authorized to adopt court rules setting guidelines to be followed in its Family Court division in the determination of child support awards. The guidelines shall establish presumptive amounts of monthly child sup…

Establishment of Drug Court. (a) There is hereby established within the Commonwealth Superior Court a drug court which, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall operate a collaborative non-adversarial system to effect the rehabilitation and recovery of drug offenders through …

The Office of Adult Probation Supervision. There is hereby created within the Superior Court, and under the direction of the Presiding Judge, an Office of Adult Probation Supervision (OAPS). Source: PL 11-46, § 1. Commission Comment: PL 11-46 that created this article took effect…

Adult Probation Officers and Support Staff: Appointments and Qualifications. (a) The Presiding Judge of the Superior Court shall appoint a Chief Probation Officer as head of the OAPS. Such Chief Probation Officer shall serve at the pleasure of the Presiding Judge. Such Chief Prob…

Salaries and Expenses. The salary of the adult probation officers and the Chief Probation Officer shall be fixed in accordance with the salary ranges established by law. Source: PL 11-46, § 3.

Powers and Duties. The OAPS shall have the authority and responsibility to: (a) Create and file a complete record of each person who has been placed on probation or received a suspended sentence from the court including those referred by the court for supervision, investigation a…

Chief Probation Officer and Other Officers Duties. The Chief Probation Officer, as head of OAPS, shall: (a) Establish organizational operational procedures for the deputy adult probation officers of the CNMI. (b) Direct the work of, and when he or she deems it necessary, assist i…

Transition Clause: Employees, Assets, Jurisdiction, Funding, et. al. Upon the effective date of this article, all assets, liabilities, personnel, employees, FTE’s, funding, appropriations, property, jurisdiction, authority, cases, clients, or any other matters of any sort that ar…

Interest Bearing Trust Accounts. The Presiding Judge of the Superior Court may establish interest bearing trust accounts in reputable financial institutions located in the Commonwealth. All trust monies received thereafter by the Superior Court will be deposited into said account…

Expenditure of Funds. Monies generated from the interest bearing accounts will be used to cover the costs necessary to maintain the accounts, including administrative expenses. Any amounts which remain above such costs, may be expended for other legitimate purposes of the Superio…

Accounting of Funds. No later than November 15th of each year, the Presiding Judge shall prepare a report on the amount of funds generated by the interest bearing accounts, in the preceding year, and the manner in which the funds were expended. This report will be submitted to th…

Delegation of Authority: Rota and Tinian and Aguiguan. The Mayor of Rota and the Mayor of Tinian and Aguiguan, if so designated by the department head, shall be the administrative heads of their constituencies for the delivery of public services provided by the Commonwealth, and …

Delegation of Authority: Duties of Resident Department Heads. The resident department heads on Rota and Tinian and Aguiguan shall make available to the respective mayors all necessary government personnel, equipment, and support in order to make possible the effective execution a…

Agriculture and Marine Revolving Fund for Tinian. (a) There is established in the Commonwealth government an Agriculture and Marine Revolving Fund of $25,000. Such funds were initially appropriated by PL 3-94, § 201(i)(7). The funds shall be expended by the Mayor of Tinian and Ag…

Voting: Eligibility. (a) Pursuant to Article VII, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a person is eligible to vote who, on the date of the election, is 18 years of age or older, is domiciled in the Commonwealth, is a resident in the …

Domicile: Determination. A person’s domicile shall be determined in accordance with the following: (a) Each person has a domicile; (b) Each person has only one domicile; (c) A person’s domicile is the place where the person resides when not called elsewhere to work or for other t…

Domicile: Criteria for Determination. Criteria for determining a person’s domicile includes but is not limited to the following: (a) Whether the person maintains a permanent residence or permanent place of abode in a place outside the Commonwealth; or (b) Whether the person’s pre…

Residency: Determination. For the purposes of this part, there can be only one residence for an individual, but in determining residency, a person may treat oneself separate from the person’s spouse. The following rules shall determine residency for purposes of this part: (a) The…

Registration Procedures. (a) Any person qualified to vote in a general, primary, local or special election may register to vote not less than sixty days before the day of the election. (b) When registering to vote, the person shall sign an affidavit of registration on a form prep…

Removal of Names from Register; When; Re-registration. (a) The Commission shall remove the name of a registered voter from the register in the following cases: (1) At the written request of the person registered. (2) When the insanity of the person registered is legally establish…

Transfers, Name Changes; Initiated by Executive Director. (a) The executive director shall use all reliable and pertinent information to keep the general register up-to-date. The executive director may request information form, but is not limited to, the following sources: 1. The…

Voting Procedures. (a) The Commission shall distribute to each polling place a list of the eligible voters for that polling place. Not less than 15 days before the day of election, a copy of the list shall be posted at the office of the Commission and Mayors for examination by th…

Absentee Voting. (a) Subject to the procedures set forth in this chapter, any registered voter at any election may request and cast an absentee ballot with the Commission. The Commission shall compile and keep immediately current a list of persons requesting an absentee ballot pu…

Absentee Voting: Sick or Disabled Voters. If a registered voter at any election is confined to a home or hospital due to illness or physical disability and unable to go to the polls, that voter nevertheless may vote in accordance with this part and the rules and regulations promu…

Absentee Voting: Absence from the District in Which Voter is Registered. (a) Any registered voter of the Commonwealth may, as provided in this part and subject to the conditions of this section, may vote at any election by absentee ballot if he or she feels it likely he or she wi…

Absentee Voting: Marking and Mailing Ballots. (a) The Commission shall provide to any registered voter entitled to vote by absentee ballot and who applied for one, an official ballot, a ballot envelope, an affidavit prescribed by the Commission, and a reply envelope. The absentee…

Absentee Voting: Counting Ballots. (a) To be eligible to be counted, an absentee ballot shall be received by the Commission not later than the date of election; provided that in the case of a runoff election an absentee ballot shall be postmarked not later than the day of the run…

Voting in Another Polling Place [Repealed]. Source: PL 12-18, § 2 (6214), modified; subsection (d) was added by PL 16-38, § 4; repealed by PL 17-11 § 10 (August 12, 2010). Commission Comment: Section 6214 is similar to the former § 6212 (source: DL 5-19, § 9, amended by PL 3-82, …

Challenge by Voters; Grounds; Procedure. (a) Challenge prior to election day. Any registered voter may challenge the right of a person to be or to remain registered as a voter in any district. The challenge shall be made in writing, setting forth the grounds upon which it is base…

Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot / Federal Postcard Application. In lieu of using an absentee registration form, any overseas uniformed services voter, or person who is a spouse or dependent of such person, and any person who temporarily resides outside the territorial limits of …

Early Voting: Criteria for Early Voting. (a) Any registered voter of the Commonwealth may vote early at any election if he/she will be prevented from personally going to the polls and voting on election day because of: (1) The conduct of his/her business; (2) The necessity of tra…

Early Voting: Photo Identification. (a) Each voter shall be required to show photo identification at the poll in order to receive a ballot; if the voter does not have or refuses to produce photo identification, the voter shall fill out an affidavit that includes their name, addre…

Early Voting: Ballot Box. (a) During the period of early voting, the keys to the ballot box used at each early voting polling place will be kept at the Office of the Public Auditor in Saipan. (b) During the period of early voting, DPS must be stationed at the polling place at all…

Early Voting: Issuance of Ballots; Voting Booths. (a) If a request is made to vote early by a registered voter in person, the Commission shall issue a ballot for early voting to the voter. The ballot must be voted on the premises of the Commission, except as otherwise provided in…

Early Voting: Permanent Polling Places for Early Voting. (a) The Commission may establish permanent polling places for early voting by personal appearance at locations throughout the Commonwealth. Any person entitled to vote early by personal appearance may do so at any polling p…

Early Voting: Period for Early Voting; Hours. (a) The period for early voting by personal appearance begins the 7th day preceding an election and extends through the last day before election day; provided that the period for early voting for the Northern Islands begins on the 46t…

Temporary Branch Polling Places. (a) In addition to permanent polling places for early voting, the Commission may establish temporary branch polling places for early voting. (b) Voting at a temporary branch polling place may be conducted on any one or more days and during any hou…

Schedule of Locations and Times for Early Voting. (a) The Commission shall publish during the week before the period for early voting and at least once each week during the period for early voting in a newspaper of general circulation in the Commonwealth a schedule stating: (1) t…

Northern Marianas Descent Registry (NMDR). There is hereby established within the Office of the Commonwealth Election Commission a Northern Marianas Descent Registry (NMDR) for the purpose of maintaining official listings and records of persons of Northern Marianas descent, and o…

Official Northern Marianas Descent Identification Card (ONMDIC). CEC shall design the Official Northern Marianas Descent Identification Card (ONMDIC), which shall be approved by the Governor, the Presiding Officers of the Legislature, and the Mayors of the respective Senatorial D…

Registration. Upon this chapter becoming law and in accordance with this chapter, the Commonwealth Election Commission shall begin the registration of persons of Northern Marianas descent in all the villages on Saipan, the islands north of Saipan, Tinian and Aguiguan, and Rota. T…

Rules & Regulations. CEC may promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the purpose and intent of this chapter. Source: PL 17-40 § 5 (April 21, 2011), modified. Commission Comment: The Commission replaced “this Act” with “this chapter” pursuant to 1 CMC § 3806(d)…

Preparation of Proposed Annual Budget. (a) (1) No later than six months before the beginning of each fiscal year, the Governor shall prepare and submit to the legislature a balanced budget for review as required by N.M.I. Const. art. III, § 9(a) and the provisions of this part. I…

Content of Proposed Annual Budget. The proposed annual budget for each fiscal year shall contain: (a) A detailed, current estimate of the total anticipated financial resources of the Commonwealth for the fiscal year which includes: (1) All revenues and Covenant funds to be receiv…