‘Budget bill better vetoed than passed’

Government department heads said they support the governor’s veto of the proposed fiscal year 2005 budget, although it would mean running their offices in a very tight fiscal position.

“It’s very difficult to operate with our budget right now but I have no choice. That [veto action] is the governor’s discretion,” said Public Safety Commissioner Sandy Tudela.

He said that, even if the spending plan was passed, DPS would not have gotten a higher budget as it was only allocated $13 million, inclusive of the $2 million for the newly created Department of Corrections.

“That gives us only over $10 million so we’d rather have the continuing resolution,” he said.

DPS used to get $16.3 million in 2001 and over $15 million in 2002 and 2003. Since no budget was passed for fiscal year 2004, the government is currently operating under the 2003 funding level.

Public Health Secretary James U. Hofschneider echoed Tudela’s sentiments, saying, “I support the governor 100 percent.”

The DPH is appropriated $40.8 million under the continuing resolution. In the vetoed bill, it was supposed to receive only $36.9 million.

Hofschneider said that, although the 2003 funding has proven insufficient to run the only government hospital in the CNMI, he would try to make both ends meet.

“We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing in the past years. We’ll continue to do our best,” he said, while thanking the governor for using his reprogramming authority to meet the DPH’s needs.

“We get reprogrammed funds from other agencies. It has helped us a lot,” he said.

Commerce Secretary Andrew Salas said that his department only consists of 32 FTEs from the original of over 50 FTEs. To operate efficiently, he said the department needs to hire professionals such as an economist and a banking specialist.

Meanwhile, the Legislature expressed doubts that taking back the vetoed bill and working on it again would be practical.

Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano said it may be too late to come up with a budget for FY 2005.

“We’re now on the second quarter and fast advancing the third quarter. We might as well work on the 2006 budget,” said Adriano.

House leadership spokesman Charles Reyes Jr. agreed, saying yesterday that revising or re-introducing a budget for FY 2005 “may be difficult now.

He said, though, that the House leadership will come up with its official position on the budget bill next week.

House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial is expected to hold a press conference to air his views on budget issues.

In an earlier interview with Rep. Oscar M. Babauta, who co-chaired the budget conference committee, he said that he personally favors an override of the veto. The Legislature can overturn the governor’s decision if it obtains a two-thirds votes from each chamber.

The House of Representatives is composed of 18 members while the Senate has nine.

Gov. Juan N. Babauta said that his office would continue to work with the Legislature on the budget.

“I’m wide open. The lieutenant governor and I are willing to continue to work with Legislature in coming up with a realistic budget for this government,” he said.

The Babauta administration had asked for $226 million for FY 2005. The Legislature had only approved $217.7 million.

“We are going to try and live within the $213 million continuing resolution unless the Legislature comes up with another budget,” he said.

Yet, given the limited time, “we’d probably have to go on continuing resolution and have to work on the FY 2006 budget instead.”