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Senate approves $144.84M concurrent resolution for budget
The Senate passed Thursday with amendments a House concurrent resolution to approve $144.84 million in revenues and resources of the CNMI that are available for appropriation in fiscal year 2022, with only $103.38 million left for appropriation after deducting debt service payments and NMI Settlement Fund obligations.
With the Senate’s passage, House Concurrent Resolution 22-1, House Draft 1, Senate Draft 1, will go back to the House.
Senators agreed to amend the resolution by striking out a provision that states that earmarked funds shall be unsuspended.
According to the House Concurrent Resolution 22-1, HD1, SD1, the total identified budgetary resources for fiscal year 2022 is $144,848,801. Minus $45,951,500 in debt services, the total local revenue and resources available for appropriation is $98,897,301. With $4,487,022 in revenue and resources for the Department of Public Lands, this brings the budget request to a grand total of $103,384,323.
Acting governor Arnold I. Palacios recently submitted a revised budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 that identifies the same gross budget of $144.84 million, with only over $98.89 million left for appropriation after deducting debt service payments and NMI Settlement Fund obligations—essentially similar to the numbers that the administration submitted last April.
Volume IV, however, of the revised budget fully allocates the $512,076,165 that is available to the CNMI from the American Rescue Plan Act, pursuant to what Finance Secretary David DLG. Atalig presented last June 5 as the government’s spending plan for the ARPA money.
