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Hofschneider to lead Senate team in conference committee
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Posted on Sep 29 2020
Senate President Victor B. Hocog (R-Rota) appointed Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian) yesterday to lead the Senate team on the conference committee, which has the enormous task of resolving by tomorrow, Wednesday, disagreements in the government’s budget bill for fiscal year 2021 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Hocog also appointed Sen. Vinnie F. Sablan (R-Saipan) and Sen. Teresita A. Santos (Ind-Rota) to join Hofschneider on the team. Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz (R-Tinian) was named an alternate member.
“I am confident that our Senate conferees will work out the differences with the House conferees on the [fiscal year] 2021 budget so that we can avoid the government shutdown,” he said.
Rep. Ivan Blanco (R-Saipan), who will lead the House of Representatives team on the conference committee, said yesterday that the committee will meet today, Tuesday, at 1:30pm, most likely in the House chamber.
After the House rejected the Senate’s version of the budget bill with an 18-2 vote during Sunday’s special session, House Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao immediately appointed Blanco, House floor leader John Paul Sablan (R-Saipan), and Rep. Joel C. Camacho (R-Saipan) to the conference committee. Attao said he will appoint another lawmaker as an alternate.
Blanco, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said in an interview Sunday that, as soon as Hocog names the Senate members of the conference committee, they are going to sit down together.
The last time there was a conference committee was for the fiscal year 2019 budget.
Last Saturday, the Senate passed its version in the budget bill that proposes $96.47 million for fiscal year 2021. This is $13.81 million more than the $82.65 million that the House had approved.
Last July 1, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres submitted a revised revenue projection in the amount of $144.41 million. Of this amount, the governor approved $82.65 million for government appropriation.
