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Concurrent resolution on FY 2015 budget prefiled
House Ways and Means chair Tony Sablan (Ind-Saipan) prefiled yesterday a concurrent resolution to approve the CNMI government’s total projected resources of $170 million, of which $134 million is available for appropriations, for fiscal year 2015.
Sablan prefiled House Concurrent Resolution 18-2 a day after the Ways and Means Committee met with Finance Secretary Larrisa Larson and other finance officials to confirm the sources of funds and figures contained in Gov. Eloy S. Inos’ proposed fiscal year 2015 budget submitted to the Legislature on April 1.
The concurrent resolution, once adopted, shows the Legislature’s approval of the projected resources available for appropriation in fiscal year 2015, which runs from Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2015.
The House is expected to take up the concurrent resolution next week.
It’s already been over a month since the governor sent his proposed 2015 budget to the Legislature for review. The Ways and Means Committee will be calling in certain agencies for clarification on their proposed budget for 2015, before a budget bill is drafted and finalized for passage.
As expected, agencies have started airing their concerns about the governor’s proposed budget for their agency or office, asking the Legislature to give them more money.
Larson, in a brief interview yesterday, said the increase in proposed budget from 2014 to 2015 was in essence going toward the retirement settlement trust fund and the government’s health insurance premium.
She said the needed money for these two items in fact exceed the difference between this year and next year’s proposed budget. The governor’s proposed 2014 supplemental budget, which is expected to be sent to the Legislature any day now, will also go toward these two items alone. This early, some lawmakers have been eyeing portions of this for other programs and services such as payment to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
