Previous Story
House accepts Senate’s amendments to concurrent resolution on revised budget
The House of Representatives unanimously adopted Friday a concurrent resolution, with Senate amendments, that agrees with the projected $116.19-million total local revenue and resources that the administration had identified as available for appropriation, to reflect proposed revisions to the fiscal year 2023 budget law, Public Law 22-22.
All 20 House members voted “yes” to adopt House Concurrent Resolution 23-1, Senate Draft 1.
In response to Saipan Tribune’s inquiry, House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) said yesterday the Senate just changed the language, but everything else is the same in terms of the numbers.
House and Ways Committee chair Rep. Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan) introduced HCR 23-1 last March 13 and the House adopted it that same day. Several other representatives co-sponsored the resolution.
Ralph N. Yumul and Edmund S. Villagomez
The concurrent resolution is the first step of the budget process. It places the total estimated gross budgetary resources for fiscal year 2023 at $164,198,068. Minus earmarks and transfers out in the total amount of $48,004,271, the total local revenue and resources available for appropriation in fiscal year 2023 is $116,193,797.
Adding the $5,407,897 budget for the Department Public Lands, the grand total local revenue and resources available for appropriation is $121,601,694.
Former governor Ralph DLG Torres enacted the Appropriations Act of 2023 (Public Law 22-22), which placed the total amount for appropriations at $104,374,369.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios later asked the Legislature to revise the 2023 budget, noting that just after the first quarter of fiscal year 2023, a large portion of the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act that were available for appropriation in fiscal year 2023 have already been expended and are unavailable for the rest of fiscal year 2023.
Last March 17, the House unanimously passed House Bill 23-31, House Substitute 1, which repealed and re-enacted Public Law 22-22, or the fiscal year 2023 appropriations and budget law, to reflect the revised projections. The bill is now before the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee chaired by Sen. Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota).
