Gov. Juan N. Babauta will decide today on the $218 million proposed appropriation for fiscal year 2005.<\/p>\n
Babauta is expected to announce his action\u2014whether to approve, disapprove, or line-item veto House Bill 14-250\u2014during a press conference at 9am today at the Governor\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Legislators earlier urged the governor to pass the bill, saying that there is no major reason why it should be rejected.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers from both the lower and upper chambers noted that the governor\u2019s main concern\u2014raising the Public School System\u2019s budget\u2014was \u201cadequately\u201d addressed.<\/p>\n
The governor earlier threatened to veto any budget bill that would not raise the PSS budget. The Babauta administration had asked for $42 million for PSS while the budget conference committee approved nearly $40 million.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Finance Secretary Fermin Atalig said that the chief executive may do a line-item veto, citing PSS and utilities budget as \u201cmajor\u201d concerns.<\/p>\n
The administration had complained that the Legislature only approved $4 million for payment of utilities when its actual cost would reach $8 million a year.<\/p>\n
The continuing resolution identifies $5 million for government utilities.<\/p>\n
Sources said that the Judiciary also aired concerns over its budget. Under the 2005 budget bill, the judicial branch would get no increases in its budget.<\/p>\n
On Dec. 17, 2004, both chambers of the Legislature finally agreed to endorse a $218 million funding level for fiscal year 2005, highlighted by a $4.1 million appropriation for salary adjustment of government employees.<\/p>\n
House budget conference committee chair Rep. Oscar Babauta said the panel had approved a $38.2 million budget for PSS but inserted a provision in the bill specifying that PSS would also receive the revenues out of the $50 labor fee increase for nonresident workers. This is estimated to generate at least $1.5 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we are meeting the governor\u2019s request for PSS. PSS\u2019 budget would be $40 million or a little over $40 million,\u201d said Rep. Babauta.<\/p>\n
Under the continuing resolution, the PSS receives $37.2 million.<\/p>\n
The budget conference committee, which was co-chaired by Sen. Joseph Mendiola, said that of the $4.1 million allotted budget for salary adjustment, $2.2 million shall be used to pay the within-grade increase of qualified government employees or those civil service-covered employees, $1 million for frozen steps personnel under Public Law 10-76, and $942,522 for the retroactive payment of Rota and Tinian government personnel pursuant to P.L. 7-31.<\/p>\n
The committee said the WGI and frozen step personnel \u201cshall be paid an equal pro-rated percentage amount from each category.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rep. Babauta admitted that the salary adjustment would not be enough to cover all dues owed the government personnel, which he said, amounts to some $6 million. But he said that whatever is left would be paid using the lapsed funds on a quarterly basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping that by end of the fiscal year [September 2005], all salary adjustments are settled,\u201d said the lawmaker.<\/p>\n
The Babauta administration originally submitted in April 2004 a $226-million budget for FY 2005. In September, the House approved only $212.7 million budget, rejecting the administration\u2019s $13- million Integrated Fiscal Plan.<\/p>\n
The Senate raised the funding level to $217.7 million after getting a $5.1 million additional revenue projection from the administration, which the Legislature had opted to use for salary adjustments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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