The shutdown — and the suspension of the lawmakers’ salaries — will take effect if they fail to pass a new balanced budget before Oct. 1.
House Bill 17-91, or the “Essential Services Act of 2010,” is now with the Ways and Means Committee, but Benavente doubts whether the panel could act on it before Oct. 1.
The bill will give the governor full authority to designate essential personnel performing government services that must continue to operate.
These are the medical care of inpatients and emergency outpatients; activities to ensure continued public health and safety, including safe use of food, drugs and hazardous materials; air-traffic control and other transportation safety functions and the protection of transport property; border and coastal protection and surveillance; protection of local and federal lands, buildings, waterways, equipment and other property owned by commonwealth; law enforcement and criminal investigations; emergency and disaster assistance; production and distribution of power; and preservation of money and banking system of the commonwealth.
In an interview yesterday, Benavente, R-Saipan, said the recently ratified constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, which he co-authored, also requires the Legislature to define by statute what essential public services are to be spared in case of a government shutdown.
“I feel that maybe because of the lack of the statutory definition, we are not going to implement the constitutional requirement to shut down the government,” Benavente said.
He also believes that the budget will definitely pass even though “it’s not easy when you are trying to make both ends meet with minimal revenue.”
The House, he added, should give the Senate enough time to deliberate on the budget bill.
“[The House had] it for four months,” he said.
Three members of the majority bloc in separate interviews said the budget bill should now move forward.
Rep. Sylvestre I. Iguel, Covenant-Saipan, expects the Senate to propose amendments.
No matter how well we think we’ve drafted the bill, the Senate is going to change it anyway, he added.
Time is of the essence, Iguel said.
“That’s why we need to move this bill. If we have concerns about whatever the Senate was changed, then let the conference committee work on it. We have done enough, we came up with a budget, now let’s move on,” he said.
Rep. Raymond D. Palacios, Covenant-Saipan, said the Senate “will change it anyway, so it will sure come to the bicameral conference committee to reconcile the differences.”
He added, “There are many things that we have amended here and if goes to the Senate those will be amended again. I believe that despite whatever concerns that we have, let’s get the ball rolling, give it to the Senate and let them incorporate their concerns.”
According to Rep. Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, “We have already turned the engine on, let us set the gear and move on.”
The budget should pass, he added, as everybody should understand that “we do not have enough for FY 2011 because the economy is going down.”
