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New budget bill in the works
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Posted on Aug 29 2011
The fiscal year 2012 budget bill that was introduced on Friday will not be the same measure that the House is expected to act on during today’s session because of a substitute budget bill that was being readied yesterday.
House Ways and Means Committee chair Rep. Ray Basa (Cov-Saipan) confirmed late yesterday afternoon that there’s a substitute budget bill, but said there are not that many major changes from the original measure.
Basa cited, for example, a change in the provision on public land appropriation provision. But he said the 16-hour work cut every two weeks will remain.
He also said that the “seed money” for the Department of Public Health, which is transitioning into a corporation, will still be $5 million.
“We’re hoping that we could generate additional revenues so we can continue to help DPH,” he said.
The $102 million budget bill’s introduction came barely a month before the start of fiscal year 2012 on Oct. 1.
If and when the House passes the budget bill today, it goes to the Senate, which is expected to refer it first to Sen. Jovita Taimanao’s (Ind-Rota) Fiscal Affairs Committee before the full Senate could act on it.
Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) said yesterday that the Senate looks forward to receiving a House-passed budget bill.
A budget deadlock between the House and Senate last year resulted in the partial government shutdown that sent over 1,000 government employees jobless for days until lawmakers were able to agree on a budget.
HB 17-215 gives a budget of $4 million to the Judicial Branch, over $4.509 million to the Legislature, and over $29.394 million to the Executive Branch.
Rota’s budget is at over $4.474, while Tinian’s is over $4.361 million. Saipan and the Northern Islands are proposed to have a budget of over $1.219 million.
The rest are for other programs and agencies including over $4.018 million for the Northern Marianas College, over $5.030 million for the Marianas Visitors Authority; over $27.905 million for the Public School System; and $175,393 for the Board of Education.
It’s not known whether these appropriations will change under the substitute budget bill.
