No shutdown if Senate and House agree on ‘zero’ allocation for lawmakers, leadership

If what Senate and House members have been saying the past few days about agreeing on “zeroing out” the Senate and House leadership allocation and the individual lawmakers’ allocation is true, then there might not be another partial government shutdown this time around.

This is because even before the Senate could pass the fiscal year 2012 budget bill, House members have already expressed support to the Senate’s proposed amendments of zeroing out these two accounts.

If the Senate passes the amended budget bill tomorrow, the measure goes back to the House.

Unless additional issues are raised and political bickering kicks in, the House and Senate could once again have a budget deadlock that will lead to non-passage of a bill before the start of FY 2012 on Oct. 1.

Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) said yesterday that he is confident the Senate will pass on Tuesday the budget bill that the House transmitted on Sept. 1.

Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee chair Jovita Taimanao (Ind-Rota) separately confirmed yesterday that her committee is almost done with the review of the budget bill, which will be amended to “zero out” the allocation for the leadership and individual members’ allocations.

Taimanao said the money taken from the leadership and individual members’ accounts will go toward the appropriations for the Northern Marianas College and the Public School System, as well as the Department of Public Safety.

She said the changes do not offer increased taxes for elected officials.

But the latter could be in the form of a floor amendment from Senate floor leader Pete Reyes (R-Saipan).

House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan) and other House members separately said they agree with the Senate’s proposal to zero out these accounts.

But some House members said zeroing out these accounts will hurt Rota and Tinian lawmakers more than their counterparts from Saipan.

If and when the Senate-amended budget bill passes and signed into law, members expect that there will only be a few sessions and meetings, and lawmakers will have to let go of their employees and most of the Legislative Bureau staffers.

This means lawmakers will only live with their constitutionally protected salaries of over $39,000 a year.