Previous Story
‘Numbers errors’ force House to hold off vote on budget bill
Government agency representatives crowded the House of Representatives chamber yesterday afternoon ready to voice their concerns on a proposed $114 million budget package for fiscal year 2013, but the House announced that it is holding off voting on the bill until they address numbers and other technical errors.
House Ways and Means Committee chair Ray Basa (Cov-Saipan), author of the budget bill, said it is necessary to hold off any action on House Bill 17-313 “to make some corrections” to errors pointed out by the Office of Management Budget yesterday.
Vicky Villagomez, the governor’s special adviser on management and budget, confirmed in a brief phone interview that there were “errors in the calculations” of the House leadership.
“Those were minor corrections. The figures will still add up to $114 million,” she told Saipan Tribune.
Other members also said the budget bill tried to tinker with Compact Impact money to make up for cuts made to certain agencies’ budgets.
Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) said last night that the Senate will immediately work on the budget bill once the House passes and transmit it to them.
“It shouldn’t take long for the Senate to work on the budget. We are just waiting for it to go to us,” Manglona said.
Manglona pointed out that the Senate does not have its own version of the budget bill.
Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee chair Jovita Taimanao (Ind-Rota) asked for her colleagues’ cooperation when the House budget bill goes to the Senate.
HB 17-313 slashes Gov. Benigno R. Fitial’s budget for many programs and agencies, including those for the Marianas Visitors Authority, Public School System, Northern Marianas College, Tinian, Medicaid, and the Medical Referral Program but increased the Legislature’s budget by $966,000.
The administration is lifting the 16-hour work cuts in fiscal year 2013, and Basa said the House also looks at restoring paid holidays.
House minority leader Joe Deleon Guerrero (R-Saipan) said the bill should be referred to the Ways and Means Committee for further deliberation.
He also asked Ogumoro whether there will be a committee report on the bill. Ogumoro said there will be none, but the bill will remain on calendar for action in the next session.
Some members of the minority bloc were relieved that the budget bill was not voted on yesterday as the leadership had planned. However, correcting its technical errors would mean additional changes that may not be readily shared with the minority.
Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan), for example, said he wants to ask why the leadership cut the MVA’s budget by $550,000, from the governor’s budget submission of $2.125 million to $1.575 million in the budget bill.
All other agencies received a much lower budget under the House leadership budget bill compared to the governor’s submission.
Under the governor’s revised budget, the total identified budgetary resources for 2013 is $133.641 million. Of this amount, $114.320 million is available for appropriation.
