Lack of quorum delays talks on austerity bill

Due to a lack of members, a House Ways and Means Committee meeting was postponed yesterday, possibly further delaying the enactment of austerity measures.

Rep. Ray Yumul, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he was disappointed more members didn’t show up to produce a quorum. Six of the 11 committee members must be present to discuss any legislation.

Rep. Victor Hocog asked Yumul to convene the meeting to discuss the intent of House Bill 16-223 that would set austerity Fridays and unpaid holidays, Yumul said. Hocog introduced the bill. Under the House rules, unless the member asks for the rules to be waived and the bill set on calendar, the legislation is assigned to the appropriate committee for discussion.

The Fitial administration has pushed for the austerity measures, particularly since the $156.76 million Fiscal Year 2009 budget became law. The House overrode the $156.76 million ($148 million from local revenue) budget veto on their second attempt, and, with the Senate already having overridden the measure, the budget became law last week.

Without the austerity measures in place, mass layoffs are possible and the government could shut down as early as July, Finance Secretary Eloy Inos said last week.

Yumul said the House Ways and Means Committee would look at the bill “rigorously.”

“And we will not leave any stone unturned,” he added.

If Inos predicts further decline in revenue, he needs to officially inform the Legislature, Yumul said.

“If the Secretary of Finance feels even the $148 [million] needs to be adjusted, we need to know in what direction, and by what dollar value, so we can make the changes accordingly,” Yumul said.

The representative said he is neither for nor against the austerity measures. He needs to know the figures, he added.

“Absent of that information it’s very difficult for me to even lobby the other members of this legislative body in any direction because, again, I’m not going to hide behind the politics of the issues,” he said. “I’m a straightforward guy. If we’re only collecting so much per quarter in dollars and cents from taxes and fees, we can only expend that very same amount.”

House Speaker Arnold Palacios said passing a budget did not change the situation. Now there is just a spending ceiling.

One of his main concerns with the proposed austerity measure, he said, is for the civil service employees. For years they have not received their annual incremental salary increase, and the employees will have to endure another sacrifice with an across the board reduction.