Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee chair Jovita Taimanao (Ind-Rota) said yesterday she plans to hold budget hearings on Saipan, Tinian and Rota during the first and second week of August, not only to \u201cassess\u201d agencies\u2019 current expenditures but also \u201cvalidate\u201d their new budget submissions, barely two months before the budget deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Senate has to do its own legwork. There won\u2019t be shortcuts,\u201d Taimanao told Saipan Tribune in an interview at her office.<\/p>\n
This, despite some lawmakers\u2019 suggestions that the Senate need not duplicate the public hearings that the House Ways and Means Committee had already conducted for the $134 million fiscal year 2015 budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy third week of August, the committee would be ready with the bill, for full Senate action,\u201d Taimanao said. <\/p>\n
Taimanao said there will be Senate changes in some agencies\u2019 appropriations.<\/p>\n
Once the Senate amends the House budget bill, the measure goes back to the House for either acceptance or rejection of these changes.<\/p>\n
Taimanao said more than likely, there will be a conference committee, which will be tasked to come up with a House-Senate \u201ccompromise\u201d budget bill.<\/p>\n
Rep. Trenton Conner (Ind-Tinian) said Tinian saw a $400,000 decrease in the proposed 2015 funding, compared to 2014. Tinian senators want to restore that funding or at least come closer to its current budget.<\/p>\n
If no new budget is in place by Oct. 1, the CNMI government would have to shut down and lawmakers\u2019 salaries would be suspended until they pass a spending plan. <\/p>\n
Some agencies, such as the Public School System, have turned to the Senate for more funding compared to the House\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n
Education Commissioner Dr. Rita Sablan said in a July 25 letter to Taimanao that the House\u2019s proposal of a $32.279 million budget for PSS disregarded their request for an additional $1.6 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe members of the House did not act on our request and therefore, I am requesting your utmost attention and support to review our request and grant us the additional budget for next fiscal year,\u201d Sablan told Taimanao. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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