Governance in the CNMI Essay -- Unicameral, Bicameral, legislature, Uni

Is the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) better yet with a Unicameral Legislature or with the current Bicameral Legislature? According to Wikipedia, the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature is defined as the territorial legislature of the United States of America (Wikipedia). The legislative branch of the Marianas is bicameral. It consist of twenty members in the lower House of Representatives, and an upper house Senate with nine members. The Representatives serve two-year terms, and the Senators serve four-year terms, both without term limits. Both houses of the legislature convene and conduct their meetings on the Island of Saipan, the capital island of the Northern Mariana Islands. The House seats are elected in seven districts. Two districts have one seat each, one for Tinian & Aguiguan, and one for Rota. The remaining five districts elect multiple members, two with three members and two with six members which are all located in Saipan. According to the Mariana Islands Constitution, the requirements for House of Representative are a minimum age of 21, must be a residence of the Commonwealth for at least three consecutive years, and a registered voter in the district you represented. Reapportionment occurs every ten years following the census. Together with the Senate, the Constitution permits the Legislature to enact a higher residence requirement (CNMI Government laws). The Senate seats are divided into three districts containing three seats each from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The Senate seats are divided into two classes that are similar to the classes of the United States Senate. One class consisting of a single Senator from each district, and the second class consisting of two Senators from... ... Mariana Islands, 1998- 2013. Web. Retrieved from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/northern_mariana_islands.htm Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Country Brief. Home page. Bilateral, Sept. 2013. Web. Retrieved from http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/cnmi/ Farrell, Don. â€Å"Tinian: A Brief History.† Tinian. (Original work published 2012) Northern Marianas Commonwealth. Home page. Legislature, 2006. Web. Retrieved from http://www.cnmiago.gov.mp/government.html Covenant of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Home page. Web. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Mariana_Islands Covenant. Law revision commission, 2013. Home Page. Web. Retrieved from http://cnmilaw.org/cnmicovenant.html Farrell, Don. Personal Interview. 26 Nov. 2013 Cruz, Peter. Personal Interview. 29 Nov. 2013