Title 4, Economic Resources

Witnesses. No person shall be required to attend as a witness in any proceeding before the administrator at a place outside the Commonwealth, but the testimony of any witness may be taken by deposition or interrogatories according to the rules of practice of the Commonwealth Supe…

Witness Fees. Witnesses summoned in a proceeding before the administrator or whose depositions are taken shall receive the same fees and mileage as witnesses in the Commonwealth Superior Court. Source: PL 6-33, § 1 (§ 9334).

Costs in Proceedings Brought Without Reasonable Grounds. If the court having jurisdiction of proceedings in respect of any claim or compensation order determines that the proceedings in respect to such claim or order have been instituted or continued without reasonable ground, th…

Powers of the Administrator. (a) The administrator shall have the power to preserve and enforce order during proceedings before her or him; to issue subpoenas for, to administer oaths to, and to compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses, or for the production of books, pap…

Fees for Legal or Other Services. No claim for legal services or for any other services rendered in respect of a claim or award for compensation, to or on account of any person, shall be valid for more than 15 percent of the total award of disability benefits and unless approved …

Record of Injury or Death. Every employer shall keep a record of any injury to an employee. Such record shall contain such information of disease, other disability, or death in respect of such injury as the commission may by regulation require, and shall be available for inspecti…

Reports. (a) Within 10 days of the date of any injury or death, or of the date that the employer has knowledge of such injury or of a disease or infection in respect to such injury, the employer shall send to the administrator a report setting forth: (1) The name, address, and bu…

Penalty for Misrepresentation. Any person who willfully makes any false or misleading statement or representation for the purpose of obtaining any benefit or payment under this chapter or for the purpose of evading liability for any benefit or payment under this chapter shall be …

Security for Compensation. (a) Every employer, except those specifically exempted by subsection (c) of this section, shall secure the payment of compensation under this chapter by insuring and keeping insured the payment of such compensation with an insurer granted by law a certi…

Compensation for Injuries Where Third Persons are Liable. The claim of an employee for compensation does not affect his claim or right of action for all damages proximately resulting from such injury or death against any person other than the employer. Any employer who pays, or b…

Compensation Notice. (a) Every employer who has secured compensation under the provisions of this chapter shall keep posted in a conspicuous place in or about each of its places of business, typewritten or printed notices, in accordance with a form prescribed by the commission, s…

Substitution of Carrier for Employer. In any case where the employer is not a self-insurer, in order that liability for compensation imposed by this chapter may be most effectively discharged by the employer, and in order that the administration of this chapter in respect to such…

Insurance Policies. (a) Every policy or contract of insurance issued under authority of this chapter shall contain: (1) A provision to carry out the provisions of 4 CMC § 9344, and (2) A provision that the insolvency or bankruptcy of the employer or the employer’s discharge in an…

Certificate of Compliance With Law. (a) Every employer required to secure or renew workers’ compensation coverage pursuant to this chapter shall file a certificate of compliance with the administrator within 30 days of becoming an employer, or renewal of compensation, or the rene…

Penalty for Failure to Secure Payment of Compensation. (a) Civil Penalty. The administrator shall assess any employer required to secure the payment of compensation under this chapter who fails to secure such compensation a civil fine of not more than $100 per day for each day su…

Interest, Penalties, and Waivers. (a) For failure to pay any civil penalty assessed, or the two percent of premium required under 4 CMC § 9353(c)(2), or other remittances pursuant to this chapter, within the time specified, the administrator shall assess in addition to the princi…

Administration. (a) Except as otherwise specifically provided the Workers’ Compensation Commission shall administer the provisions of this chapter, and for such purpose the commission may: (1) Make rules and regulations in conformance with this chapter, including any requirements…

Investigations by the Commission. (a) The commission shall make studies and investigations with respect to safety provisions and causes of injuries in employment covered by this chapter, and shall from time to time make to the legislature and to employers and carriers recommendat…

Special Disability Fund. (a) A Special Disability Fund is established in the Commonwealth for the purpose of making payments in accordance with the provisions of 4 CMC § 9308(f). Such fund shall be administered by the commission. The Treasurer of the Commonwealth shall be the cus…

Commonwealth Government Self-Insurance Fund. (a) The legislature may establish, out of any money in the Commonwealth Treasury not otherwise appropriated, a fund sufficient to secure compensation payments under this chapter in respect of employees of the government, its agencies a…

Annual Report. The commission shall make to the Commonwealth Legislature and the Governor at the beginning of each calendar year a report of the administration of this chapter for the preceding fiscal year, including a detailed statement of receipts of and expenditures from the f…

Effect of Unconstitutionality. If any part of this chapter is adjudged unconstitutional by the courts, and such adjudication has the effect of invalidating any payment of compensation under this chapter, the period intervening between the time the injury was sustained and the tim…

Excess Coverage. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent an employer or employee from purchasing insurance coverage in addition to that coverage required by this chapter. Source: PL 6-33, § 1 (§ 9357).

Funds of the Authority. (a) The funds available to the authority as paid-in capital shall consist of the following: (1) All United States economic assistance for economic development loans provided by Covenant § 702(c) received by the Commonwealth on or after May 31, 1985; (2) An…

General Management Guidelines. (a) The board shall formulate operational plans, policies, and procedures to implement the provisions of this division. Plans, policies or procedures, other statements required by this section, the bylaws, the operating manual, and any similar deter…

Financial Prudence. (a) The authority shall engage in prudent financial management of all its assets. (b) The authority shall maintain such reserves of cash or other assets as are necessary and prudent to assure that the authority will be able to meet its obligations in a timely …

Interest Rates. In setting interest rates for loans for various types of projects and undertakings, the authority shall consider the cost and opportunity cost of capital, its own administrative expenses in relation to such loans, overall prevailing market rates, and the risk of i…

Borrowing by the Authority. (a) (1) The authority may issue bonds, debentures, securities notes, collaterals, and other obligations, at such rates and with such maturities as may be stipulated therein, and upon security as may be appropriate to the type of obligations shall be re…

Project Supervision. (a) The authority may at its discretion provide project guidance to any undertaking financed entirely or in part by the authority through periodic visits by authority staff and through regular flow of reports from the borrower of other persons receiving such …

Economic Development Loan Fund. (a) The Northern Marianas Economic Development Loan Fund shall be managed and administered by the authority in accordance with the provisions of this division. (b) The Northern Marianas Economic Development Loan Fund Board shall be dissolved not la…

Conflicts of Interest. (a) No loan or other financial assistance shall be granted to any authority board member, the executive director, or any spouse or member of his or her household. Neither shall any loan or other financial assistance (other than a loan guarantee with a comme…

Staff. (a) Subject to the provisions of this section, the executive director may hire no more than 15 employees for those positions that the board may specifically provide for; provided, that where feasible and available, the authority shall rely on agencies of the Commonwealth g…

Privacy of Information. No member of the board, officer, counsel, agent, or employee of the authority who becomes privy to any proprietary information as a result of his official position with the authority shall reveal such information to any person outside the course of his off…

Civil and Criminal Penalties. (a) Criminal Penalties. Any member of the board, or any officer, employee, counsel, or agent of the authority or any other person who embezzles, abstracts, or wilfully misapplies any money, funds, credit, or securities of the authority, or who wilful…

Legal Relationships. (a) The authority and all its property, transactions, and income shall be exempted from all taxes and other levies in the nature of taxes of the Commonwealth or any local government thereof. This exemption shall not apply to any private enterprise in which th…

Audits. The Public Auditor shall audit the operations, books, and records of the authority at least annually and in accordance with 1 CMC § 7710(a) and title 1, division 2, part 1, chapter 6 [1 CMC § 2301 et seq.]. The report of the audit shall be transmitted to the executive dir…

Exemptions. The funds of the authority shall be exempt from the regulations promulgated by the Director of Finance under 1 CMC §§ 7725 and 7726. The authority may promulgate regulations under 1 CMC §§ 7725 and 7726. Source: PL 4-63, § 10, modified. Commission Comment: With respec…

Authority Reinvestment Revenue Bonds Program. (a) In furtherance of 4 CMC § 10203 and not in limitation thereof, the authority is expressly authorized and empowered to make and issue bonds, notes, or other obligations in furtherance of the purposes of this division by reinvesting…

Public Debt Authorization. The Commonwealth Economic Development Authority is hereby authorized, subject to the approval of the board of trustees of the Marianas Public Land Trust, to borrow up to $2,000,000 to be used for improvements and beautification of American Memorial Park…

Definitions. As used in this article: (a) “Authority” means the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority. (b) “Bonds” means general obligation bonds, notes, and other instruments of indebtedness. (c) “Commonwealth” means the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (d) “C…

Authorization to Issue: Amount. The Authority may issue from time to time general obligation bonds of the Commonwealth, in an amount not exceeding the total amount of those bonds authorized to be issued by bond authorization acts of the legislature and any amendments thereto in e…

Application of Proceeds. (a) The proceeds of bonds so issued shall be devoted to the costs of issuance of the bonds, debt service reserves (if any), and any one or more of the following purposes (and any other purpose or purposes expressed in the acts of the legislature authorizi…

Details of Bonds. (a) All bonds issued pursuant to this article shall bear interest at such rate or rates (fixed or variable), payable at such time or times; shall mature and be payable at such time or times; may be issued as serial bonds or term bonds or a combination thereof; m…

Sale of Bonds. (a) The Authority may make such arrangements as may be necessary or proper for the sale of each issue of bonds or part thereof as are issued pursuant to this article including, without limitation, arranging for the preparation and printing of the bonds, the officia…

Form and Execution of Bonds. Bonds issued pursuant to this article shall be in such form as the Authority may determine, and shall be lithographed or steel engraved. All bonds issued pursuant to this article shall be manually signed by the chairman of the Authority, shall bear th…

Signatures. When bonds of the Commonwealth are prepared and signed (manually or by facsimile) by the chairman and the executive director of the Authority in office at the time of such signing, the signatures of the chairman and the executive director shall be valid and sufficient…