18 days left before deadline

The House of Representatives rejected yesterday the Senate’s proposed amendments to the fiscal year 2018 budget, effectively forcing the creation of a conference committee that is expected to meet within the week to hammer out a compromise version.

The House rejected on an 18-2 vote the Senate amendments that moved around $2.5 million among government agencies, gave the Marianas Visitors Authority a budget that already allocates $1.5 million as an expense, and many others.

Reps. Glenn Maratita (R-Rota) and Edwin Aldan (R-Tinian) opposed rejecting the Senate amendments, which included a $452,962 increase for Rota and a $793,534 increase for Tinian.

“With that kind of increase, who would say no?” said Maratita, adding that Senate amendments had “significant” increases for both the first and second senatorial districts.

Rep. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said the $2.5 million that got moved around was a “significant amount that we need to review further.”

“[The Senate amendments] just got transmitted to the House and we can’t just accept it without due process,” he said, citing the large amount that was moved around as reason for both chambers to go into a conference committee.

“[We] need to make sure to be able to verify how these funds were moved,” said Demapan.

According to Demapan, there is “big concerns” over the Senate’s amendment to modify the MVA’s budget to finance the needs of other government agencies.

“That is a very significant modification and we would like to analyze that modification further to see how best we could reduce that impact because any impact that we make on the MVA budget just translates to a reduction in investment in destination enhancement and promotion activities,” he said.

MVA budget modifications include setting aside $450,000 for the purchase of a new fire truck for the Department of Fire and Emergency Management Services, up to $250,000 for the purchase of four additional Automated Passport Control units, up to $100,000 for a CNMI Cultural Center feasibility study, up to $200,000 to fund a Chamorro and Carolinian cultures celebration activity throughout September 2018, $250,000 each to Rota and Tinian mayor’s offices to fund tractors with batwing mower attachments, and $69,435 for the Public School System’s Cooperative Education Program for the promotion of its tourism-related programs.

The modifications would cost the MVA over $1.5 million in indirect budget reductions.

The Senate amendment also reduced the Legislative Bureau’s budget. The House version appropriated $2.5 million for the bureau, while the Senate reduced it to $2.2 million, shaving $262,973 off the bureau’s budget.

“The bulk of the [Legislative Bureau] budget was for generator procurement and the construction for the housing of the generator unit,” said Demapan. He added that the procurement of the generator was for emergency sessions in the event of a natural calamity such as Typhoon Soudelor.

According to Demapan, back when Typhoon Soudelor hit, the Legislature had to go into emergency session to enable Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to “move funding around to address the critical emergencies brought about the typhoon.”

“We couldn’t get into session [in the House chamber on Capital Hill] because we had no access to power,” he said, adding that the Legislature then had to bounce back and forth between government offices to hold sessions and address critical needs.

Conference committee meetings

According to Demapan, he wishes to begin conference committee meetings within the week.

“If we can push out a final version of the budget by the end of the week, it is something that I would like to consider,” he said, citing the constitutional mandate that gives Gov. Ralph DLG Torres 20 days to review the budget.

“It is my intention to work closely with the Senate conferees and the Senate chairman of the conferees to ensure that we pass a budget in time that gives the governor ample time to review it and to ensure that we avert a government shutdown in services,” he said.

Demapan chairs the House panel for the conference committee, while vice speaker Janet Maratita (R-Saipan) acts as vice chair and Rep. Joseph Deleon Guerrero (R-Saipan) is a third member. Rep. John Paul Sablan (R-Saipan) was appointed as an alternate in the event that any of the three could not attend the conference committee.

Sen. Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) chairs the Senate panel for the conference committee, while Sen. Sixto Igisomar (R-Saipan) acts as vice chair and Sen. Steve K. Mesngon (R-Rota) is a third member. Sen. Justo S. Quitugua (Ind-Saipan) was appointed as an alternate for the Senate panel.