By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

SENATOR Rory Respicio, D-Agana Heights, yesterday advised agency heads to scrutinize Bill 74 and assess the impact of the budget cuts on their respective operations.
Respicio, who voted against Bill 74, said during the bill’s discussion the administration didn’t provide adequate information on how the budget reductions would affect services and personnel.
Bill 74, approved on an 8-7 vote by the Legislature on Friday, cuts government spending by over $18 million and revises the budget at $471 million.
Respicio wrote an open letter to department and agency heads, saying that the cuts to several agencies were actually much higher than the figures published.
“The budget cuts are about 12 percent reduction in most departments’ full-year budgets, meaning they would need to cut more than 25 percent of their spending for the next four and half months,” Respicio said.
“And even those agencies that were spared from budget cuts may not have that shelter because the governor is being given 15 percent transfer authority to shift funds around,” he added.