The CNMI governor, Benigno Fitial has again extended his executive orders declaring a state of emergency for the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.
The powers allow Governor Fitial to have direct control over these agencies and suspend procurement laws or rules to address those emergencies for at least another 30 days.
For the CHC, the Governor Fitial suspended all statutory or regulatory provisions and allowed for the reprogramming of funds to address the emergency.
The governor extended the CHC emergency declaration two days after the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services placed CHC under a severe sanction of immediate jeopardy, which could result in loss of funding support from the federal agency.
In the CUC executive order, Governor Fitial assumed all of the executive power of CUC, including those vested in the board of directors and the executive director.
