THIRTEENTH NORTHERN MARIANAS COMMONWEALTH LEGISLATURE Public Law 13-25 SIXTH SPECIAL SESSION, 2002

H. B. NO. 13-161, HD1 AN ACT To AMEND THE LAND COMPENSATION

ACT OF 2002 (PUBLIC LAW 13-17), AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. BE IT ENACTED

BY THE THIRTEENTH NORTHERN MARIANAS COMMONWEALTH LEGISLATURE: Section

1. Amendments.

The Land Compensation

Act of 2002 (Public Law 13-17) is hereby amended

as follows: (I) Section

3 (a) is amended

to read
as follows: (a) The Marianas Public Lands Authority shall hereby
incur public debt
in an amount

up to $40,000,000,

for the financing

of the retirement

of land compensation claims against the Commonwealth

for land taking
by eminent domain or other legal process.

In accordance
with

4 CMC

§ 10203(a)(27),

the Marianas Public Lands Authority shall an·ange

for the public debt mandated under this Act
in cooperation
with, and subject

to the approval

of, the Commonwealth Development Authority.

(2) Subsection (e)(ii)
of 4 CMC

§ 1803, enacted

by Public Law 13-17,

is hereby amended

as follows: (ii) After the amount

in subparagraph

(i) has been transferred,

and notwithstanding

any law
to the contrary,

on or before October

1, 2002 with MPLA securing

the $40,000,000 mandated

by PL 13-17,

as amended,

and annually thereafter,

the Department

of Finance shall deposit
the balance amount

of the liquid fuel tax collected under

4 CMC

§ 1403(a) and the entire amount

of the aviation
tax collected under

4 CMC

§ 1403(b) into the Land Compensation
Fund. Such funds shall be continually appropriated

to thePublicLaw13-25HOUSEBILLNO.13-161,HDlMarianasPublicLandsAuthorityforthesolepurposeofpayingtheprincipalandinterestonanyfinancingauthorizedbyPL13-17,asamended.Provided,that,intil;!eventtheamountintheLandCompensationFundisinsufficienttocoveranyrequisitepayment,theGovernorisherebyauthorized,notwithstandinganycontrarylaw,topaytheremainingbalancefromthegeneralfund.ThefundsintheLandCompensationFundshallbenonlapsing,except,uponcertificationbytheSecretaryofFinancethatallprincipalandinterestonallfinancinghasbeenpaidinfullanddischarged,anyfundsremaininginthe LandCompensationFundshalllapsetothe generalfund.(3)TheLandCompensationActof2002(PublicLaw13-17)isfurtheramendedbyaddingthefollowingnewsections9-14,andbyrenumberingaffectedexistingsectionsaccordingly:"Section9.MethodforValuationofLand.ForpurposesofthisAct,landownersshallreceivejustcompensationbasedonthefairmarketvalueofthelandatthetimeoftakingbytheCommonwealth.MPLAmayuseasaguidetheproceduressetforthin2CMC§§4712(a)(2)and(3)todeterminefairmarketvalueatthetimeoftaking.Section10.AdministrativeHearing.(a)If,uponawrittenofferofjustcompensation,alandownerdisputesthemethodusedtodetennine,ortheamountof,thejustcompensationofferedbytheCommonwealthtoresolvethelandcompensationclaim,thelandownershallhave20daystomakeawrittenrequestforanadministrativehearingtoprotesttheoffer.(b)ForpurposesofahearingconductedpursuanttothissectionandforpurposesofICMC§§9109and9110:(1)"Agency"shallmeansuchhearingofficerappointedbytheCommissioneroftheMarianasPublicLandsAuthority,andPage2of5Public Law 13-25 HOUSE BILL NO.l3-16!,
HDI (2) The agency shall have the general power

to issue subpoenas, summon witnesses, require production, administer oaths, and other powers tbat may be necessary

to effectively implement

this Act. (c) All hearings shall be commenced within
30 days of the filing of the written protest
by the land owner. Adequate notice shall be given

to all pmties and opportunity
shall
be made available

to them

to present such evidence

as they may desire.
All hearings shaH be conducted pmsuant

to

l CMC

§ 9!09. (d) The agency shall upon concluding

the hearing issue findings, decision and orders within
30 days. Issuance

of findings, orders and decisions upon hearing shall be pursuant

to

I CMC

§ 9110, but shall not be judicially reviewable
lmtil final. Section
ll. Administrative Review. (a) Within

15 days of the date of service upon any person

or party affected

by fmdings, orders,

or decisions

of the agency made pursuant

to Section

10 of this Act 1IIIY appeal

to the Board
of Public Lands
by written notice.

If no appeal

is made

to the board within

15 days of the date of service of the original findings, orders
or decisions,

the findings, orders

or decisions shall be unreviewable administratively

or ju:liciaUy. (b) Upon review,
the board may

at its discretion: ( l) Restrict review

to the existing record; (2) Supplement

the record with new evidence; (3) Hear oral argument;

or (4) Hear the matter

de novo,
in which case the hearing shaH be condu;;ted pursuantto

I CMC

§§ 9!09 and 9l!O. Page

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