House OKs bill to re-appropriate $881,987 to medical referral

Members of the House of Representatives read during a special session Friday the floor amendment offered by Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao to a bill that would re-appropriate $881,987 for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Health Network Program. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

The House of Representatives passed Friday a bill that would re-appropriate $881,987 to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Health Network Program, which is previously known as the Medical Referral program.

With 18 House members voting “yes,” House Bill 23-60, HD1 now goes to the Senate for action. Reps. Edwin K. Propst (D-Saipan) and Marissa Renee Flores (Ind-Saipan) were absent but excused.

Under the bill, a total of $881,987, which is what remains of the $1.085 million that was previously appropriated for the Solid Waste Transfer Station, will be re-appropriated to the Health Network Program for travel, housing, and transportation expenses. However, $50,000 of the $881,987 shall be set aside for interisland medical referrals. The CHCC chief executive officer shall be the expenditure authority of the funds.

Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao (Ind-Saipan), who is the principal author of the legislation, said the Health Network Program is in dire need of additional funds to assist Commonwealth patients who are seeking medical assistance or treatment outside of the CNMI.

According to the bill, the Office of the Capital Improvement Projects under the Executive Branch has identified funds for the architectural and engineering design, and construction of a solid waste transfer station for the southern part of Saipan. However, Section 2(6) of Public Law 20-61 already appropriated $1,085,000 for the exact same project.

House floor leader pro tem Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan), who is among the many co-sponsors of the bill, thanked Attao for introducing the bill as the legislation helps the medical referral system.

Yumul requested that the House also explore, with the approval of the administration and Marianas Public Land Trust, to set aside seed money so that interest earned on those investment under MPLT can be designated to address the medical referral system permanently.

“That’s something that we as a body need to explore. We need to look at avenues because majority or 99.9% of the medical referral are indigenous people and funds remitted to MPLT is supposed to help the indigenous people,” he said, adding that this is something that the House needs to look at and start a conversation.

“I understand it won’t be popular, but at least it starts the discussion on setting aside a certain amount of funds so that any interest earned goes directly to the medical referral system,” he said.

Attao said that’s just one of the options that they’re looking at. He said one of the plans that’s being laid out right now is to leverage a line of credit, whether it be from other institutions outside of the CNMI, bonds or others. Attao said MPLT is definitely one of the entities that they’re looking at, not just to borrow money but actually to have a line of credit.

He said a lot of these projects won’t move forward without money upfront for the payment of these vendors for a drawdown.

“We have probably about $100 million with the MPLT but maybe a line of credit of $15 million to $20 million just to start moving these projects forward and the federal monies will be remitted to the CNMI will go directly to MPLT,” Attao said.

He said they are not even touching MPLT money, but just allow the CNMI government to at least open a line of credit so these projects can move forward. Attao said the faster they get these projects moving in the CNMI, the faster they are going to collect taxes from these projects.

“So that would actually help infuse money to our general fund,” he said.

Regarding medical referral program, Attao echoed Yumul that they need to start looking at that angle with MPLT.