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No House decision yet on FY 2016 budget
The House of Representatives was not able to decide on a draft budget act and will continue discussions in another session set for today.
Lawmakers were supposed to adopt the proposed budget act, but decided to go into recess after almost four hours of deliberations on Wednesday afternoon.
House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) called for the recess, reminding lawmakers that deliberations might take until “midnight” and that the legislative staff will also have to stay late.
Rep. Antonio P. Sablan (Ind-Saipan) suggested that deliberations be continued, but a majority of his colleagues voted against it.
At the session, Sablan introduced House Bill 19-86 or the “Appropriations and Budget Authority Act of 2016,” which the House Committee on Ways and Means adopted on July 2.
The spending plan details a $149.5-million budget for fiscal year 2016, which is slightly higher than the government’s earlier proposal of $145.8 million.
One of the concerns raised were salary increases, particularly for the Executive Branch.
“Why did other agencies have increases?” Rep. Ralph Yumul (Ind-Saipan) asked, noting that certain agencies do not have increases reflected on the balance sheets.
Sablan said his committee had the option “to help” other agencies, and that at least lawmakers can help “some of them,” if not all.
“We have to understand that an across-the-board increase of government employees’ salaries will cost us an additional $4 million,” Sablan said.
Yumul, however, said it would have been fairer if no increases were given at all.
More questions are expected to be raised today as the budget session continues.
