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Joint Senate, House committee approves extending hiring period
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Posted on May 25 2012
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
A joint committee from the Senate and House has agreed on a “compromise” bill that will extend by 45 days the period by which a vacant position in government can be eliminated if not filled within 90 days.
Right now, any vacancy not filled within 90 days is eliminated, except at the Public School System, Northern Marianas College, and the Department of Public Safety.
The compromise bill, if signed into law, gives agencies a total of 135 days to fill vacancies, or those vacant positions will be eliminated.
House Bill 17-261, Senate Substitute 1, Conference Committee Substitute 1 is expected to be passed in the next sessions of the Senate and House, which both postponed their sessions on Wednesday.
The six-member conference committee includes co-chairs Rep. Ray Basa (Cov-Saipan) and Sen. Jovita Taimanao (Ind-Rota), along with House minority leader Joseph Deleon Guerrero (R-Saipan), Rep. Ralph Demapan (Cov-Saipan), Sen. Ralph Torres (R-Saipan) and Sen. Henry San Nicolas (Cov-Tinian).
The Fitial administration has been waiting for this bill.
Demapan introduced HB 17-261 on Jan. 17, to amend Public Law 17-55 or the fiscal year 2012 budget law. The House passed it on Jan. 26 and it was transmitted to the Senate on Jan. 30.
The Senate made changes to the bill, which the House rejected, triggering the formation of a conference committee.
The Senate amendment was to provide for $5 million in Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. seed funds, which would be the state share of the required matching funds for Medicaid reimbursements to CHC.
But the conferees agreed that the Senate amendment is already addressed in another bill, HB 17-293. Thus, HB 17-261 is back to its original version.
It says there are many vital positions that deal with revenue generation that are not filled because of the 90-day window period. One of those vacancies is the position of director for Revenue and Taxation.
