Title 1, Government

Findings and Purpose. (a) In accordance with the mandate of N.M.I. Const. art. II, § 4(a), the legislature finds that based upon the increase in the population of the Commonwealth as reported by the Bureau of the Census, it is necessary to reapportion the seats in the House of Re…

Increase in House Membership. Pursuant to N.M.I. Const. art. II, §§ 3(a) and (b), and 4(a), the membership of the House of Representatives is increased from 15 to 18 by increasing the number of representatives from Saipan and the islands north of Saipan from 13 to 16. Source: PL …

Saipan Election District. For the purpose of electing 16 members of the House of Representatives from Saipan and the islands north of Saipan, Saipan shall be divided into the following four election districts: First District: Municipal districts 6 and 10, electing six representat…

Public School System. There is hereby established as a nonprofit corporation, the Public School System, which shall be the state education agency for preschool, elementary and secondary programs. The Public School System shall be headed by an elected board to be known as the Boar…

Interagency Cooperation. The Board of Regents and other instrumentalities of the Commonwealth government shall work together with the Board of Education in the cooperative development, implementation, and operation of the programs of the Public School System. Source: PL 6-10, § 1…

Board of Education. (a) There is established a Board of Education, consisting of five voting members elected at-large on a nonpartisan basis as follows: one from the First Senatorial District, one from the Second Senatorial District, and three from the Third Senatorial District. …

Board of Education: Tenure. (a) Elected members of the board shall serve terms of four years except that the terms of the first members elected shall be determined by drawing of lots with three members serving a term of four years and two members serving a term of two years. (b) …

Board of Education: Vacancies. (a) Any vacancy on the board caused by the death, resignation, or removal of an appointed member shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment to serve the unexpired term of that vacancy. Upon a vacancy on the board caused by the de…

Board of Education: Compensation. (a) Members of the Board may receive compensation for meetings attended at a rate consistent with Commonwealth law. A member who is employed by any branch or agency of the Commonwealth government shall receive his or her regular salary under admi…

Board of Education: Chairman: Election. A chairman shall be elected by a majority vote of the voting members of the board. Source: PL 6-10, § 1(§ 1521).

Board of Education: Meetings. Meetings of the board will be open and held at least once every three months. Special meetings shall be called by the chairman or by a majority of the board members as often as may be necessary for the transaction of the Public School System’s busine…

Board of Education: Quorum; Removal of Members. (a) All actions of the board requiring a vote shall be conducted at a board meeting. The presence of four voting members shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business at any board meeting. All actions of the board requiring …

Board of Education: Powers, Functions, and Duties. (a) To formulate policy and exercise control over the Commonwealth Public School System through the commissioner; (b) To establish and revise as necessary on its own or through its agents, rules, regulations and policies for the …

Rules and Regulations. The Commissioner shall promulgate necessary rules and regulations to carry out the intent of 1 CMC §§ 2261(e), 2262(c), and 2263(b), including but not limited to candidate identification and selection for the general election, ballot tabulation, and protest…

Commissioner of Education: Appointment. The board shall appoint a commissioner who shall serve as the chief executive officer for the Public School System and the Board of Education. The board shall establish the duties of the commissioner. Source: PL 6-10, § 1 (§ 1524).

Commissioner of Education: Qualifications. The commissioner shall serve at the pleasure of the board and shall be appointed by the Board of Education for a term of four years and may be removed by a majority vote of the members of the board. No person shall be appointed as Commis…

Commissioner of Education: Formulation of Policy. The board shall formulate policies and exercise control over the Public School System through the commissioner, as provided in N.M.I. Const. art. XV, § 1. Source: PL 6-10, § 1 (§ 1524).

Public School System Building Fund. (a) There is hereby established a special fund within the Department of Finance which shall be known and designated as the Public School System Building Fund. (b) The purpose of the fund shall be to pay principal and interest on any financing e…

Technical Education Program Fund. (a) A Technical Education Program Fund is hereby created as a dedicated fund within the CNMI Treasury and the Secretary of Finance shall make all disbursements from the Fund only to the Public School System upon the establishment of a technical e…

Loan Agreement Authorization. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System is hereby authorized to enter into a loan agreement for a sum up to $5,000,000.00 for the purposes of building additional classrooms, Early…

Advisory Commission on Judiciary. There is in the Commonwealth government an Advisory Commission on the Judiciary composed of five members appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Three members shall be attorneys admitted to practice before the Commo…

Advisory Commission on Judiciary: Tenure. The members of the commission shall serve for three years, except that of the members first appointed, one shall serve for one year, two shall serve for two years and two shall serve for three years. Source: PL 1-5, ch. 5, § 2, modified.

Advisory Commission on Judiciary: Duties. The commission shall have the powers and duties as provided in the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands. In addition, the commission shall assist the judiciary in preparing: (a) Rules and regulations regarding admission to practic…

GENERAL PROVISIONS § 501. Standard Time: Defined. The standard time throughout the Commonwealth shall be the mean solar time of the one hundred fiftieth degree of longitude east from Greenwich (150 E). This time shall be known as Marianas Standard Time. Source: MIDC § 1.20.010.

GENERAL PROVISIONS § 502. Exemption from Daylight Savings Time. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is hereby exempted from the provisions of 15 U.S.C. § 260a. The entire Commonwealth shall observe the standard time set forth in 1 CMC § 501. Source: See 15 U.S.C. § 2…

General Election. In conformance with Article VIII, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, regular general election of the Commonwealth shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. In the …

Special Elections Subject to the Call of the Governor. (a) If a vacancy occurs in the legislature, in the office of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor, or in the office of a mayor, which under the Constitution requires an election to fill the vacancy or a recall petition is cert…

Time of Special Election. Special elections subject to the call of the Governor shall be held on a date set by the Governor which shall be no less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days from the date of the proclamation provided for in Section 6502. The Governor shal…

Calling of Special Elections. All special elections subject to the call of the Governor shall be called by proclamation of the Governor of the Commonwealth. The Commission shall cause a copy of the proclamation to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Commonwe…

Special Elections Subject to the Call of the Legislature. Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as proposed by popular or legislative initiative or by Constitutional Convention, and such other matters as may be provided by law, shall …

Funding for General and Special Elections. In the absence of an appropriation for a general or special election conducted pursuant to this part, or for voter education with respect to a proposed amendment to the Constitution, the Governor shall, notwithstanding any other provisio…

Postponement of Election. If for serious cause resulting from any natural phenomena, act of God, or a public enemy, it becomes reasonably impossible to hold any election duly scheduled in the Commonwealth as a whole or in any senatorial or election district, or mayoral island or …

Election Day: Holiday. If an election is held on a day other than a Saturday or Sunday, the election day shall be a legal holiday within the Commonwealth or in the senatorial or election district. Source: PL 12-18, § 2 (6508).

Runoff Elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. (a) If in an election for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor – no candidate receives more than one-half of the total votes cast and counted, there shall be a runoff election fourteen days aft…

Employees Entitled to Leave on Election Day for Voting. (a) Any voter shall on the day of the election be entitled to be absent from any service or employment in which such voter is then engaged or employed for a period of not more than two hours (excluding any lunch or rest peri…

Right to Cast Secret Ballot. (a) Each qualified voter has the right to cast a secret ballot in private. The Commission shall set up voting booths and places to guarantee that each voter may vote in private. No person shall be allowed with a voter in a voting booth, except as prov…

Polling Places: Hours of Operation. Polling places shall open at 7:00 a.m. on the day of the election and shall be kept open until 7:00 p.m. on the same day, except that any person who is already at the polling place at 7:00 p.m. shall be allowed to vote. The Commission may close…

Collection of Ballot Boxes. (a) After all voting is completed, all ballot boxes and voting machines shall be collected by election officials and delivered to the Commission or its duly authorized representative by the safest and most expeditious means available and be certified t…

Tabulation of Votes. (a) Except as provided in subsection (d), the Commission shall establish an accounting and tabulation committee composed of not less than five members. The accounting and tabulation committee shall count and tally all votes cast and determine the acceptabilit…

Ballot Irregularities. (a) If a ballot being counted appears improper, the final decision as to the validity of the ballot shall be made by the Commission. The accounting and tabulation committee shall separate any ballot it believes to be improper and forward the ballot or ballo…

Marking the Ballot. (a) In voting, the voter shall place the appropriate mark in the voting square adjacent to the name of any nominee for whom he intends to vote. (b) Should the Commission adopt a ballot form using any mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic device to recor…

Loss or Destruction of Ballots. In case of the prevention of an election in any election district by the loss or the destruction of the ballots intended for that election district, the election official or other member of the Commission, shall make an affidavit setting forth the …

Polling Places: Three-hundred Foot Radius Prohibition of Campaign Activity. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the day of the election and during early voting to perform or cause to be performed any of the following acts within…

Public Auditor Assistance. The Office of the Public Auditor shall assist the Election Commission for the entire election process to prevent and detect fraud and any abuse in the election process until the official results are certified including monitoring the polls during specia…

Application for Federal Grant Funds. (a) No Commonwealth agency shall make an application for federal monies or for participation in a federally assisted program under any federal law, and no Commonwealth agency may approve an application for these monies or participation submitt…

Inclusion of Federal Grant Funds in Executive Budget. (a) Pursuant to the submission of an annual budget by the Governor to the legislature, the special assistant shall include all federal monies received or anticipated by agencies as a part of the budget submission. The special …