House grants Inos expending power over PSS CIP projects

The House of Representatives yesterday amended a recently-signed law that appropriated nearly $30 million for Public School System’s infrastructure development plans to grant expenditure authority to the education commissioner.

But the legislative body also agreed to alter the amount of funding set aside for two projects on Rota, slashing $600,000 from the $1.8 million allotted for the completion of Sinapalu Elementary School to increase funding for construction of new public school libraries on the island.

Rota Rep. Alejo M. Mendiola sought changes in the distribution of the $3.74 million share for his island, giving at least $1 million for a public library in Tatachog and $100,000 for a library in the public school.

Although House members expressed worry during yesterday’s session that the proposal may violate the agreement on the sale of PSS bonds from which half of the money came, they approved Mendiola’s request to address the immediate needs of that island.

“We need to notify the investors about the changes… whether that is acceptable,” said Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, co-sponsor of the measure with Vice Speaker Jesus T. Attao.

House Bill 11-455 is a response to earlier objections raised by Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan when he signed the law last week as acting governor over two key provisions approved by the Legislature.

Sablan disapproved a provision taking away authority of the PSS commissioner to manage the funds appropriated under Public Law 11-89 and providing expenditure powers only to the public works secretary in coordination with the CIP administrator.

He noted that the island government, when they presented the portfolio to potential investors, had decided to give this authority to the Commissioner of Education.

Sablan also rejected a proposal to get portion of the funding for the completion of Marianas High School Gymnasium from a private contributor.

Finance officials had disclosed that the $37,537 in private contributions from Nizeki International is no longer available for partial funding of the project.

The new measure, which now heads to the Senate for action, has reinstated the expenditure authority of the PSS commissioner, while repealing the provision on using Nizeki’s funds.

The funding for the various PSS projects was sourced from the proceeds of the bond float worth some $15.6 million. These were used to match equal amount of U.S. construction grants as provided under the Capital Improvement Projects/Covenant program.

A total of $29.96 million has been earmarked by the Board of Education to several school building plans and other infrastructure development projects of the PSS on the three islands, with Saipan cornering a bulk of the money.

The Third Senatorial District, which covers Saipan and the Northern Islands, receives the highest funding level at $22.47 million, while both Rota and Tinian have similar allocation of $3.74 million each as provided under the seven-year CIP master plan of the Commonwealth.

This is the third CIP appropriations passed by the Legislature this year intended to tap about $154 million in construction funding from Washington and matching amount by the CNMI.