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House reaches out to Senate on budget
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Posted on Mar 27 2008
The House of Representatives is ready to resolve its differences with the Senate over the budget, Speaker Arnold I. Palacios says.
Palacios, in a letter to Senate President Pete P. Reyes, said joint talks between the two houses should start immediately and one-on-one conferences between the respective chairs of the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee.
He said the committees could discuss the Senate leadership’s concerns about the House-passed appropriation bill for fiscal year 2008, and the anticipated shortfall in light of the FY2007 continuing appropriation authority.
Based on the outcome of the talks, Palacios said, he anticipates appointing the House conferees to fast track passage of necessary legislation.
“The House leadership has placed as its highest priority the expeditious action on legislation on the Commonwealth government budget,” he said.
The first half of the fiscal year 2008 will end on Monday, March 31, without a budget being approved.
On March 3, the House passed the 2008 appropriations bill on first and final reading. The bill earmarks $164.25 million for all government agencies under the General Fund and $3.23 million for the Department of Public Lands, which is funded by income from leases on public lands.
In addition, the bill distributes $5.117 million of Compact Impact funds, or reimbursement money from the federal government to the CNMI for hosting Micronesian citizens.
On March 19, the Senate upon the recommendation of the Fiscal Affairs Committee rejected the bill and referred it to a joint conference committee with the House of Representatives.
The committee report stated that the outcome of the fiscal year is uncertain, whether the Legislature passes the 2008 budget or not.
