Admin wants reduced budget for Legislature

The administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2006 contains a reduced operations budget for the Legislative Branch, from the current level of $9 million to $8.3 million—a nearly 10 percent decrease.

Under the proposal, the House of Representatives $3.9 million would be reduced to $3.4 million, while the Senate’s $2.2 million would be lowered to $1.8 million. The reductions were taken from the chambers’ operations budget.

The Legislative Bureau ($2 million) and NMI Youth Congress ($94,000) get to keep their funding level. The Youth Congress, however, shifted over $5,000 in operation funds to personnel.

The Legislature’s retirement benefits contribution has the same funding level of $900,000.

Meantime, the Judicial Branch would get $5.6 million, which is $517,000 more than its current funding, reflecting a 10.24 percent funding increase.

The Washington Representative Office gets some $10,000 increase from its current funding of $1.7 million.

The Executive Branch would have a 6.34 percent increase in funding, from $197.8 million to $210.3 million.

The following agencies will receive funding increases: Office of the Governor at $17.3 million (from $17.1 million); Commerce, $2 million (from $1.6 million); Corrections, $4.9 million (from $2.1 million); Land and Natural Resources, $4.4 million (from$3.6 million); Public Health, $40.2 million (from $36.9 million); Public Safety, $11.7 million (from $11 million), Public School System, $50 million (from $37.2 million); and Northern Marianas College, $8.5 million (from $8 million).

The following agencies will suffer budget cuts: Attorney General’s Office at $5.6 million ($6.2 million); Finance, $8.3 million ($9.2 million); Labor, $3.9 million ($4.2 million); Public Works, $7.7 million ($9.3 million); boards and commissions, $885,233 ($898,382); independent programs, $2.2 million ($6.6 million); and Marianas Visitors Authority, $6.2 million ($7 million).

The MVA is currently requesting a $2 million supplemental budget.

The Babauta administration is proposing a $225.8-million expenditure for fiscal year 2006, which is nearly $20 million more than the continuing resolution level.

Almost 50 percent of the proposed budget, $106.9 million, would go to PSS, Department of Public Health, Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Corrections.

The administration said the requested budget spending would be realized by redirecting funds from the Tobacco Settlement Fund, Tobacco Control Fund, and by raising poker licensure fee by $6,000.