‘PSS bill remains problematic’

Senate majority leader Paul Manglona still believes that the $50 million bill for the Public School System, which passed the House of Representatives last week, is “political and problematic.”

In an interview Monday, Manglona said that passing the PSS budget is problematic since it sources the funds from the yet-to-be-passed $206 million budget for fiscal year 2006.

“The thing is, there’s no budget for FY 2006, yet you’re passing a piecemeal budget of $50 million from that estimate,” he said.

He said that passing the piecemeal budget for PSS may have been made only to appeal to PSS voters.

“Is it only for election? Piecemeal budget is not the way to do the budget. Is there such a thing as a piecemeal vote? Do you work in government on a piecemeal basis? What happens to the budgets of Public Health, Public Safety, and other departments? I think everybody should stop campaigning and just work on the new budget,” said Manglona.

He said that if the government can only collect $206 million this fiscal year, then the House should act on the new appropriation for all government departments and offices before the Nov. 5 election.

“Are they saying, after the election, we’re going to cut the budget? Don’t be afraid to cut it before election. Why wait after the election?” he asked.

Manglona, a veteran senator who was last re-elected to office in the 2003 midterm elections, said that he will not support the PSS funding bill, House Bill 14-371, in its current form.

Earlier, Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee chair Joseph Mendiola also said the House’ endorsement of the PSS bill was “irresponsible” since it does not resolve the funding of other agencies.

“I don’t like the way the House did the budget. It’s irresponsible for us to approve PSS without regard to other agencies. We really have to look at the entire budget, not just of one agency,” Mendiola had said.

The House approved the PSS bill last Thursday. It is now up for Senate action.

Based on the bill, the $50 million would be taken out of the identified $206.5 million resources for FY 2006. As a result, other agencies would be sharing the net balance of $152 million for this fiscal year.

At present, the government operates on the $213 million continuing resolution due to the government’s failure to come up with a new budget on Sept. 30.