SAIPAN — The Commonwealth Economic Incentive Authority (CEIA) will convene Tuesday, February 10, at 11:00 a.m. in the Department of Corrections conference room in Susupe to discuss agenda items and take action on board business, including any new items brought before the board.
CEIA encouraged members of the public to submit written testimony ahead of the meeting. Written comments may be emailed to board@ceia.mp, and oral testimony may be presented during the meeting, according to the public notice.
The meeting comes as CEIA Chair Anthony Torres continues a public push to reintroduce the program as an aggressive, international-facing effort aimed at bringing “high-skill, low-impact, high-wage” industries to the CNMI. In a recent presentation to the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Torres described CEIA as a “revitalized force” tasked with marketing the Commonwealth’s incentive zones globally and cutting bureaucratic hurdles for qualifying businesses.
Torres told the Chamber the old “free trade zone” concept is now framed as an Economic Incentive District (EID) where qualified businesses could receive incentives for up to 20 years, including tax rebates or exemptions, with rates Torres described as as low as three to seven percent in some cases, along with faster permitting and a streamlined process.
During the Chamber discussion, Torres also described a longer-term vision of expanding EIDs beyond Garapan and the airport area, including the possibility of broader designations across the CNMI, while emphasizing the board is still in the regulation-writing stage.
He said CEIA held its first board meeting in January and its second meeting at the Department of Corrections, describing the board as moving quickly while it drafts regulations.
