‘House, Senate committees should already act on federal funding bill’

It’s been more than two months since the Senate and the House of Representatives created their respective conference committees to hammer out an acceptable version of a bill that would mandate the Legislature to appropriate all federal funds allocated to the CNMI, but the Senate conferees are still waiting for the House conferees to agree to a meeting date, according to Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan).

In a letter addressed to House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) dated Monday, Feb. 26, DeLeon Guerrero wrote that the House and Senate conference committees have yet to meet to discuss House Bill 23-9, HS1, SD2.

The Senate president said in the letter—a copy of which was obtained by Saipan Tribune yesterday—that the fiscal year 2025 CNMI budget is coming up and the bill is an important financial legislation that must be addressed right away.

She urged Villagomez to move forward with the conference committees tasked to address the legislation.

“Accordingly, we seek your assistance in scheduling a meeting for the conferees to dispose of the bill,” said DeLeon Guerrero in the letter.

Last Dec. 14, the House rejected the Senate’s version of the House bill, which was authored by Rep. Denita K. Yangetmai (D-Saipan). Yangetmai said they rejected the Senate amendments since federal reimbursements are not new funds that need to be re-appropriated.

Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao (Ind-Saipan) said during the Dec. 14 House session that when federal agencies remit money back to the CNMI in the form of federal reimbursements, the government just puts the money back into the general fund kitty. What that Senate amendment does, Attao said, is it double taxes the general fund.

The following day, Dec. 15, the House appointed four members to serve as conferees, with Rep. Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan) appointed as the chairperson for the House conferees.

Last Dec. 19, DeLeon Guerrero announced at a Senate session that she has organized a conference committee and appointed four senators to serve as Senate conferees. Sen. Corina L. Magofna (Ind-Saipan) was appointed chair for the Senate conference committee.

DeLeon Guerrero said at the Dec. 19 session that the Senate conference committee is critical for the Commonwealth, primarily because the Federal Emergency Management Agency had just reimbursed the CNMI government.

Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero