Title 1, Government

Court Orders. (a) Except for funds appropriated for settlements and awards, no court may require the disbursement of funds from the Commonwealth Treasury or order the reprogramming of funds in order to provide for such disbursement. Any final judgment of a court shall be paid onl…

Communications to Federal Government. The Governor shall transmit promptly to the presiding officer of each house of the legislature and the Washington Representative a summary or copy of any official submission to any branch or agency of the federal government regarding budgetar…

Review of Expenditures. No later than three months after the end of a fiscal year, the Governor shall submit to the legislature an itemized comparison of amounts appropriated and amounts obligated and expended during the previous fiscal year, and revenues identified and revenues …

Centralization of Auditing Services. The office of the Public Auditor shall conduct or supervise all audits required for or sought by a Commonwealth agency. Source: PL 3-91, § 206.

Audit Standards. (a) The audit standards shall be consistent with the provisions of this part and with generally accepted auditing standards. The audit standards shall incorporate the Standards for Audit of Government Operations, Programs, Activities, and Functions published from…

Audit Procedures and Requirements. (a) At the conclusion of the audit, the Public Auditor or a designee shall discuss the audit with the officials whose agency, grant, contract, or activity is subject to audit and submit to them a list of proposed findings which may be included i…

Office of Personnel Management. There is in the Civil Service Commission an Office of Personnel Management, to be headed by a Director of Personnel appointed by the Commission. The Office of Personnel Management shall implement the personnel plans and policies of the Commission a…

Director of Personnel. The Director of Personnel shall direct and supervise all the administrative and technical activities of the Office of Personnel Management. The Director of Personnel may be removed by the Civil Service Commission only for cause. Source: PL 1-9, § 3; repeale…

Director of Personnel: Qualifications. The Director of Personnel shall have a minimum of five years work experience in personnel administration, and shall subscribe to the principles of the merit system. Source: PL 1-9, § 3, modified; repealed and reenacted by PL 17-80 § 3 (8123)…

Director of Personnel: Duties. The Director of Personnel has the following powers and duties: (a) To serve as the principal adviser to the Governor and his staff on all matters concerning personnel administration; (b) To administer the system of personnel administration for the e…

Personnel Management Functions. Boards, commissions, public corporations, the Legislative and Judicial Branches (for their administrative staffs), and other autonomous agencies subject to the jurisdiction of the Civil Service Commission, may, to the extent of budgetary resources,…

Housing for Officials: Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to provide government housing for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. Source: PL 2-4, § 1. …

Housing for Officials: Authorization. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are authorized to obtain government houses for their private and residential purpo…

Housing for Officials: Consultation and Approval. The Personnel Officer shall consult with the offices of the officials named under 1 CMC §§ 8221 and 8222 and obtain their approval as to which government houses serve their purposes. The Personnel Office shall then designate those…

Housing Allowance. (a) A housing allowance shall not be paid to any government employee or official, or spouse of a government official who holds title to real property or has a lease in real property longer than 10 years, or who, pursuant to a contract, is purchasing a home or a…

Housing Allowance Policy for Recruitment Outside of the CNMI. (a) Regulations in effect on August 1, 2005 on housing allowance or housing benefit for employees who are recruited from outside the Commonwealth shall remain in effect for a period of not more than two years after the…

Election of Membership Class. All class II members shall have the option of transferring to class I membership. (a) Exercise of the option to transfer membership shall be made on forms to be provided by the board. (b) Exercise of the option may be made anytime after May 7, 1989. …

Fund Membership: Ineligible Persons. The following employees are not eligible for membership: (a) Persons whose services are compensated on a fee basis. (b) Independent contractors. (c) Persons whose employment is for a specific project. The board shall determine who are employee…

Statement of Financial Interests. (a) For purposes of this chapter, the following persons shall be referred to as “reporting individuals”: (1) Each elected Commonwealth official; (2) Each appointed Commonwealth official and judicial officer; and (3) Each Commonwealth public emplo…

Content of Statement. Statements of financial interests shall contain the following information: (a) The name, address, and type of any professional, business or other organization (other than the Commonwealth government) in which the reporting individual was an officer, director…

Form of Statement of Financial Interests. The statement of financial interests required to be filed with the Public Auditor shall be completed by typewriting or hand printing, and shall be verified, dated, and signed by the reporting individual personally. It shall be submitted o…

Filing of Statement. (a) Not later than February 1 of each year, the Director of Finance shall certify to the Public Auditor a list (current as of the prior January 1) of the names and mailing addresses of the persons described in 1 CMC § 8511 who are required to file a statement…

Failure to File Statement by Deadline. (a) If any person who is required to file a statement of financial interests by May 1 of any year fails to file such a statement, the Public Auditor shall, by May 15, notify such person by certified mail of his failure to file by the specifi…

Blind Trusts. (a) A public official may transfer all or a portion of the official’s personal assets to a blind trust for the duration of service in public office. The original assets placed in the blind trust shall be listed by the official in the statement of financial interests…

Penalty for Willful Violation of Disclosure Requirements. (a) A person required to file a report of financial interests who refuses or knowingly fails to disclose required information within the time required, or who provides false or misleading information, knowing it to be fals…

Failure to Report by Department, Division, or Deputy Department Heads. A person hired or appointed as the head, deputy head or director of a department in the executive branch who refuses or fails to file a report of financial interests required under this chapter when due may no…

Failure to Report by a Commission or Board Chairman or Member. A person hired or appointed as a commissioner, chairman or member of a Commonwealth commission or board who fails to file a statement of financial interests when due may not hold office, and the person’s name shall no…

Report of Financial Interest of Legislators. Each legislator shall file a statement of financial interests. A legislator who refuses or fails to file the report when due forfeits and shall not be paid salary, per diem, or travel expenses after the due date until compliance, and i…

Report of Financial Interests of Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall each file a statement of financial interests required by this chapter. If the Governor or Lieutenant Governor fails to file the statement when due, salary, per diem, and …

Civil Penalty; Late Filing of Required Statement. A person who fails to file a properly completed and verified statement within the time required by 1 CMC § 8515 is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $10 a day for each day the delinquency continues as the Public Auditor …

Limitation of Actions. The statute of limitations for bringing an administrative or judicial action pursuant to this chapter shall be five years. Source: PL 8-11, § 1 (§ 8423).

Purpose. It is the purpose of this chapter to set up procedures to be followed by the Commonwealth government in the exercise of its constitutional power to acquire real property by eminent domain. Source: 10 TTC § 1, modified; N.M.I. Const. art. XIII. Commission Comment: The Com…

Private Corporations. No private corporation may exercise the right of eminent domain in the Commonwealth. Source: 10 TTC § 2, modified. Commission Comment: The Commission deleted the phrase “except as may be authorized by a district legislature.” Under N.M.I. Const. art. XIII, o…

Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below: (a) Eminent Domain. “Eminent domain” is the right of the Commonwealth government to condemn private property for public use or purposes and to appropriate the ownership and possessi…

Complaint. A complaint must be brought in the Commonwealth Trial Court in the name of and on behalf of the Commonwealth government as plaintiff, by the Attorney General, and must contain: (a) The names of all owners and claimants of the property, if known, or a statement that the…

Failure of Parties to Appear at Proceedings. In the event of the failure of any of the parties specified in 1 CMC § 9221 to appear in the proceedings, the court shall, nevertheless, proceed to fix the amount of compensation and order that the amount be paid by the government, wit…

Issuance and Service of Summons. (a) The Clerk of Courts shall issue a summons containing the names of the parties, a general description of the whole property, or a reference to the complaint for the description of the land, and a notice to the defendants to appear in the procee…

Establishment of Value of Land. Upon a prima facie showing by the Attorney General that the property desired to be purchased by the government is for public use, the court must hear the parties, and establish a fair value for the land. The court may appoint three assessors to ass…

Determination of Ownership in Event of Dispute. If there is a dispute over the ownership of property subject to an eminent domain proceeding, the court shall adjudicate and determine the ownership of the property as part of the proceedings. Source: 10 TTC § 55.

Final Judgment. The record of final judgment in the proceedings shall state the particular land or interest in land which the government has acquired and the compensation to be paid to the defendants and the clerk of courts shall issue a certificate of title in accordance with th…

Immediate Possession Procedure: Generally. If the government desires to enter into immediate possession of the property, the government shall file a declaration of taking and pay a sum of money which is considered to be the fair value of the property to the clerk of courts. In ad…

Immediate Possession Procedure: Possession After Proceedings Commenced. If the government determines that it requires immediate possession of the property after eminent domain proceedings have been commenced, but before the rights of the parties and the amount of compensation are…

CHAPTER 3. Legislative Investigations. § 1301. Subpoenas; Issuance; Form; Contents; Service and Execution. (a) The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives or other presiding officer of either house of the legislature may issue subpoenas requiring the …

Subpoenas; Notice to Witnesses. (a) Service of a subpoena requiring the attendance of a person at a hearing of an investigating committee shall be made at least five days prior to the date of the hearing unless a shorter period of time is authorized by majority vote of all the me…

Right to Counsel; Submission of Questions. (a) Every witness at a hearing of an investigating committee may be accompanied by counsel of his or her own choosing, who may advise the witness as to the witness’s rights, subject to reasonable limitations which the committee may presc…

Testimony. (a) An investigating committee may cause a record to be made of all proceedings in which testimony or other evidence is demanded or adduced, which record shall include rulings of the chair, questions of the committee and its staff, the testimony or responses of witness…