Babauta vetoes transport office bill

Gov. Juan N. Babauta has vetoed a bill that would have created a public transportation office in the Commonwealth.

While Babauta supported the intent of House Bill 14-318, he could not approve it because the measure did not identify a funding source for the proposed office.

Authored by Rep. Clyde Norita, the bill sought to establish a CNMI Office of Transit Authority within the Office of the Governor. This office would review, apply, receive, manage, and use federal grants from the Federal Transit Administration to improve public transportation within the CNMI.

In his transmittal letter to the Legislature, Babauta noted that the FTA grants require a 20-percent local matching fund.

“Unfortunately, the Legislature did not identify funding for this office and we would have to allocate scarce local funds as our matching share in order to be qualified to receive the FTA grant,” Babauta said.

According to Norita’s bill, the CNMI could have applied for over $2 million in grants from the FTA from fiscal year 2004 to 2003, but failed to do so because it did not have an agency handling FTA grants.

“As you know, the administration fully supports the concept of a grant management office that would seek out untapped federal resources, such as these public transportation grants,” Babauta said.

“It would be prudent to create an office with that general responsibility. We could then set up priorities and allocate local matching funds for various programs and activities. To set up the proposed office without [allocating] funding would expose the Commonwealth government to the very real threat of adversely affecting ongoing critical government programs and activities,” he added.

He urged the Legislature to pass another legislation with the same intent and purpose upon consultation with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Finance, and the Special Assistant for Management and Budget.

H.B. 14-318 had received the support of a U.S.-based disability advocacy group.

According to Easter Seals Disability Service, the creation of a CNMI Transit Authority would increase the access of people with disabilities to transportation.

“There is currently no public transportation system in the CNMI and while transportation does exist in the form of private automobiles and vehicles operated by the tourist industry, many people with disabilities and older adults are without any reliable, accessible, affordable transportation,” the group had said in a letter to the Senate Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation, and Communication.

Pacific Development Inc., a tour company, recently terminated the Call-a-Ride program, which provided transportation for people with disabilities.

The Office of Aging is currently in charge of the insufficiently funded program.