Conferees start tackling differences on budget bill

The bicameral conference committee started yesterday their meeting with a goal to reach a mutually agreed budget bill for the CNMI government’s operations for fiscal year 2024.

Sen. Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota) chairs the Senate conference committee, while Rep. Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan) chairs the House of Representatives conference committee.

The meeting will resume today, Wednesday, at 9:30am, in which the conferees are expected to address the provisions on holiday pay and the outside source that will pay for the 24 Tinian municipal employees.

Manglona told Saipan Tribune last night that at yesterday’s meeting the House conferees shared their concerns, then they (Senate) justified their reasons and further clarified ambiguities.

Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) and House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) formed the conference committee after the House rejected the Senate’s version of the budget bill last Friday.

At the start of the meeting yesterday, Yumul said they did state three main concerns from the rejection of the Senate version.

Yumul said the first one was the concern of Group Health Life Insurance, as well as Medicaid, and lastly to restore the $560,000 funding to the Saipan mayor, or the budget that was removed.

Rep. John Paul P. Sablan (Ind-Saipan) reminded the Senate conferees that they had discussed this when they did revise the 2023 fiscal budget and it was at that time the understanding that come fiscal year 2024 that they restore funds to the Saipan Mayor’s Office.

Sablan said of concern also was the reduction of the $690,000 on the Saipan Mayor’s Office absent any audience with Mayor Ramon Blas Camacho to find out at least how much American Rescue Plan Act funds are still available and would it suffice for this upcoming fiscal year proposed budget.

Sablan said Camacho and his staff met with most of House members to appeal on the cut as the mayor told them that even right now on the remaining time of the revised fiscal year 2023 budget, his ARPA funds that he asked are already eating up into the proposed budget for fiscal year 2024.

He said they asked the mayor considering the cut, how long does his office can maintain services.

“According to the numbers that they were given, if we were to continue with this $690,000 cut, it will only last the mayor’s office up to April of next year,” Sablan said.

Sablan said that’s really a deep concern and that he hopes that they can compromise with the conference committee that they restore that.

“At least I can say for myself that it’s non-negotiable,” Sablan pointed out.

Sen. Donald M. Manglona

Rep. Ralph N. Yumul