‘Finance still awaiting House’s action on resolution for retirees’ bonuses’

Finance Secretary David DLG. Atalig said Tuesday night that they are still waiting for the House of Representatives to pass the Senate joint resolution in order for government retirees to get their $500 bonuses.

In response to Saipan Tribune’s inquiry, Atalig stressed that they are not requesting for additional budget or to increase the fiscal year 2022 budget for the retirement bonuses.

“We are simply asking for a resolution to allow Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to reprogram within the Executive Branch $1.3 million to pay the retirees’ bonuses,” he said.

Last Dec. 15, the Senate unanimously adopted a joint resolution approving Torres’ request to the Legislature to create a new program and business unit for the $500 retiree bonuses. Senators approved Torres’ request to reprogram $1.3 million from the general fund for the payment of the retirees’ bonuses.

Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian), author of the Senate Joint Resolution 22-05, said they agreed with the importance of expeditiously entertaining Torres’ request in support of the retirees.

Last Dec. 20, House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) announced that he would like to keep SJR 22-05 on the agenda for further review.

Villagomez made the decision after Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan T. Attao (R-Saipan) raised some issues and underscored the need for more information from the Department of Finance and the administration.

Attao pointed out that any distribution of funds should begin in the House and any action that has to do with revenues that’s moving from the Senate is deemed illegal under the CNMI Constitution.

In addition to that, he said, Torres’ letter to Villagomez and Hofschneider had reflected that specific accounts be utilized, which is the discretionary account for the governor, lieutenant governor and other accounts within the Department of Finance shall be reprogrammed.

“Unfortunately, those documents were not provided to us,” said Attao as he also discussed other reasons to get more information from Finance.

But Atalig said Tuesday that it seems that there needs to be clarification on why Torres requested for a joint resolution.

Atalig said that, according to Attorney General Edward Manibusan, there is no business unit or retirement bonus program in the current budget act, therefore they needed a joint legislative resolution. He said the governor does have reprogramming authority but, without a line item or funded program, they need this joint resolution.

Atalig said funding has already been identified for this purpose.

He said that, as of Tuesday, they have never received anything from Attao.

Atalig pointed out that Senate legal counsel Antonette R. Villagomez’s legal analysis on the matter is “spot on.”

Last Dec. 20, Antonette Villagomez stated that the Senate has a constitutional authority to introduce and adopt SJR 22-05. Antonette Villagomez issued the opinion at the request of Hofschneider as questions have been raised whether the Senate had the constitutional authority to introduce the joint resolution and adopt it.

Villagomez concluded that pursuant to the Senate’s constitutional authority under NMI Constitution Article 2 and its 22nd Official Rules of Procedure, the Senate properly introduced and adopted SJR 22-05 last Dec. 15 by a unanimous decision.

The legal counsel said the Senate’s previous introduction and adoption of Senate Joint Resolution 19-04 and the House of Representatives’ adoption of that same resolution is clear precedence that the Senate is constitutionally and statutorily authorized to introduce and adopt a Senate joint resolution pursuant to the Commonwealth Code.