DATE: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â August 21, 2020
DATE: August 5, 2020
FROM: Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation
FROM: Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation
Through the signing of Executive Order 2020-11, I have established, within the Executive Branch, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers.
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2020-11
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2020-10
On April 16, 2020, the Governor issued Executive Order 2020-07 that authorized the CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office, through the CNMI COVID-19 Task Force, in partnership with Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC), to undertake necessary COVID-19 containment measures by means of the development of Emergency Directives to be titled the CNMI COVID-19 Emergency Directives of 2020 to protect the health and safety of the public. This action was authorized under Article III, § 10 of the Commonwealth Constitution, the Homeland Security & Emergency Management Act of 2013, 1 CMC § 20144, and the CNMI Emergency Health Powers Act of 2003, 3 CMC §§ 2181-2195, and Executive Order 2020-04, as amended and renewed.
Yesterday, the Superior Court held that the Office of the Governor could not proceed with its case against the House Judiciary and Government Operations Committee. Although the Administration respects the decision of the Judge, we believe the decision is erroneous by ignoring and misinterpreting law and precedent. For example, in its rush to follow federal precedent, it skipped right over the plain text of the Commonwealth Constitution. Then it overlooked some of the most important protections found even in the federal cases — such as the rule that the legislature may subpoena the executive only when the information it needs is not reasonably available anywhere else. The decision will be appealed. It will be for the Supreme Court to ultimately decide the merits of this civil case.
