By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE House of Representatives is scheduled to hold a session tomorrow after a long recess following the holiday season.
Speaker Oscar M. Babauta, Covenant-Saipan, has called for a resumption of their regular session but the agenda hasn’t been released yet.
Expected to be introduced is Rep. Crispin M. Ogo’s House Legislative Initiative 15-11, which seeks to amend a constitutional provision dealing with the Legislature’s budget ceiling.
Ogo Covenant-Rota and chairman the House Committee on Ways and Means, is proposing to reduce each lawmaker’s current annual miscellaneous funds of $155,000 to $100,000.
Likewise, he is proposing that the presiding officers’ budget for the House and the Senate currently set at $400,000 be reduced to $200,000 annually.
“The presiding officer in each house shall receive within this ceiling an additional amount not to exceed two hundred thousand dollars a year to support the operations and activities of that house, to be expended according to the rules of that house. A portion of such amount shall be equally distributed to the standing committees of that house for their operations and activities,” H.L.I. 15-11 stated.
A legislative initiative is a proposal to amend the Constitution.
Once it is approved by at least three-fourths of the members of each house of the Legislature present and voting, it is placed on the ballot.
It is considered ratified if approved by a majority of the votes cast.
A legislative initiative passed by the Legislature may not be vetoed by the governor.