The Saipan Chamber of Commerce in the Northern Mariana Islands is opposing a bill that would require scuba dive shop operators and marine sport concessionaries to impose a surcharge for every customer who uses their services.
The House Bill 17-75, is requiring dive shop operators and marine sport concessionaries to pay the one dollar surcharge per customer.
A portion of the funds collected will go toward buying a decompression chamber.
The Chamber of Commerce says the Northern Marianas Dive Operators Association has already raised thousands of dollars for the purchase of a decompression chamber several years ago, but there's been no purchase made.
It says those funds disappeared into the CNMI general fund.
