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Atalig to Rota delegation: $290K unavailable for re-appropriation
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Posted on Jul 03 2020
The Rota delegation would have to find another source of funding for local programs, following a recent certification from the Department of Finance showing their outstanding obligation of over $300,000.
Finance Secretary David Atalig certified that the appropriated $290,000 under Public Law 21-10 is unavailable for re-appropriation, an amount Rep. Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota) aims to tap through House Bill 21-116 for Rota interisland medical referral patients and hemodialysis and terminally-ill patients.
The bill is now at the Senate following unanimous passage in the House of Representatives last month.
In a letter to Sen. Teresita Santos (Ind-Rota), Atalig stated that, as of June 25, the Rota Legislative Delegation has an outstanding obligation of $331,709. This include an over-appropriation of the annual license fee by $274,032 in fiscal year 2018, and the $57,677 the Office of the Governor loaned the Rota Little League Association in 2018, for a tournament in Korea.
“Therefore, I hereby certify the appropriated $290,000 under P.L. 21-10 Section 2 § a(2)(A) unavailable for re-appropriation,” Atalig wrote.
Santos earlier urged against the reprogramming of Rota funds, and sought the Department of Finance’s official accounting, following Manglona’s introduction of the bill.
“The $290,000 appropriated under P.L. 21-10 cannot be reprogrammed for any other purposes. The $290,000 was appropriated under P.L. 21-10 as partial payment to the $564,000 that the Rota Legislative Delegation owes Finance pursuant to previous local appropriations,” the senator said. “With this said, to continue appropriating funds to accommodate our locally created programs, most especially those medically and educationally related, our delegation should identify new or other sources of funding.”
