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Adriano urges Babauta to approve ’05 budget
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Posted on Jan 01 2005
Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano urged Gov. Juan N. Babauta to approve the 2005 budget bill, which authorizes the government to spend up to $218 million in fiscal year 2005.
“I understand that they [administration] are still working on the bill. I’m not sure about the governor’s decision but I hope he approves it,” said Adriano.
He said he sees no major reason why the Executive Branch would reject the bill.
“I don’t think there is substantial reason,” he said, noting that the major issue on Public School System funding was carefully addressed by the budget conference committee.
The Legislature, upon recommendation by the conference committee, approved nearly $40 million for PSS under FY 2005, which is about $3 million more than the PSS’ existing local funding.
The Babauta administration requested $42 million for PSS, some $3 million lower than the $45 million that PSS originally asked for.
Babauta announced a week ago that he would commit $20 million in Compact Impact funds to PSS over the next four years. This fund would be used for PSS’ capital improvement projects.
Meantime, Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente said the executive office continues to review the FY 2005 budget bill.
The governor has 20 days to act on the appropriation bill, which was formally transmitted to the Governor’s Office a few days before Christmas.
Babauta earlier threatened to veto the bill if it does not raise the PSS budget to the requested amount.
Finance Secretary Fermin Atalig recently said that the governor may veto altogether or line-veto the $217.7 million proposed budget. He said the governor aims to see funding increases for PSS as well as payment for government utilities. He said the Legislature only appropriated $4 million for utilities payment in FY 2005 when the government’s actual need is about $8 million. The continuing resolution puts the utilities funding at $5 million.
The administration submitted a $226-million budget request to the Legislature for FY 2005 in April 2004.
The House of Representatives in September 2004 endorsed a $213 million funding level while the Senate raised it to $218 million following the administration’s submission of additional funding projection of over $5 million.
