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CCC hoping to get $3.19M ARPA money to finance operation
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Posted on Apr 29 2021
The Commonwealth Casino Commission is requesting the Torres-Palacios administration to finance CCC’s personnel and operation cost in the amount of $3.19 million using American Rescue Plan Act funding.
At CCC board’s monthly meeting last Thursday, CCC acting executive director Vicente B. Babauta disclosed that the commission sent Gov. Ralph DLG Torres a letter last March 30 that conveyed their financial challenges and asks for Torres’ help to finance their personnel and operation cost using ARPA money.
He said the commission received the governor’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 for the ARPA Volume IV submission to the Legislature, in which the proposed total expenditure request for fiscal year 2022 for the commission is $1,089.
Babauta said he believes this is the first submission under the ARPA intended to cover the budget shortfall and to bring back all government employees that are on furlough and the 80 hours work weeks.
He said CCC under the FY 2022 autonomous budget proposal Volume III listed the commission for $3,191,060.
Under the FY 2022 Governor’s Proposal under Volume I General Fund, the Commission’s budget request remains at $1.
He said the commission remains hopeful that their request will be considered in the second submission of the governor’s ARPA expenditure plan to the Legislature and the federal government.
“The commission has yet to receive a copy of the plan. The commission will continue to monitor and explore other funding options available that the commission can avail to,” Babauta said.
Last Feb. 26, CCC chair Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero and CCC executive director Andrew Yeom submitted the commission’s budget request to the Legislature for fiscal year 2022.
DeLeon Guerrero and Yeom asked the Legislature for a $3.19-million budget for fiscal year 2022, to be used for personnel, operations, and related costs that would enable it to carry out its casino regulatory mandates.
They are asking for just $1 from the general fund pursuant to the Office of Management and Budget’s instructions for zero budget increases and $3.19 million from the CCC regulatory fee fund.
DeLeon Guerrero and Yeom said they are asking for only $1 from local funding source just to keep this account from being deleted.
They said the remaining $3,191,060, while still requiring legislative appropriations, is actually earmarked for the CCC as per law.
CCC is facing financial challenges because of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC’s failure to pay $3.1 million in annual casino regulatory fee last Oct. 1 and the $15.5 million annual casino license fee last Aug. 12. The company also failed to contribute $40 million in community benefit fund money in 2018 and 2019 as required by the casino license agreement.
