He urged the majority “to do what is right” instead of giving the Legislature an increased budget as proposed in H.B. 17-96, which now goes to the Senate.
Benavente wanted to cut the House members’ allocation from $2.6 million to $1.7 million and the senators’ from $1.1 million to $774,000.
But by a vote of 11 to 8, Benavente’s motion to amend the bill was rejected.
Amid the minority bloc’s continuous protest, Vice Speaker Felicidad T. Ogumoro, Covenant-Saipan, moved to end the debate, which was carried by an 11-8 vote.
The budget bill reduces the Public School System’s $30.1 million allotment by $164,000 which was then given to the Board of Education.
The bill’s previous draft proposed $30.1 million for PSS, which used to get $37 million, and no funding for the constitutionally created BOE.
Education officials on Tuesday urged lawmakers not to impose deep cuts on the PSS budget.
The Legislature’s budget will be $6.2 million which is $100,000 more than its current spending level.
The bill allocates $2.6 million for 100 full-time employees of the House which has 20 members and $1.1 million for the 45 FTE’s of the Senate which has nine members.
Rep. Francisco S. Dela Cruz, R-Saipan, questioned the number of FTE’s indicated in the bill.
Benavente said he is hoping that the Senate will propose the necessary amendments.
Variety learned that the Senate has already prepared a substitute bill which requires the approval of the House.
Otherwise, both chambers must convene a bicameral conference committee to iron out their differences.
Without a new balanced budget by Oct. 1, which is the start of FY 2011, the government will shut down, with the exception of “critical” agencies.
Ogumoro said she and the other members of the leadership were very happy that the budget bill was finally passed the House.
“But we still have a long way to go and we have to work hard to make sure we pass it before the deadline,” she added.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan, said he could now breathe a sigh of relief.
“We’d been dealing with this since March. I’m just glad that we finally passed the budget,” he said.
But he said it’s not over yet, referring to the amendments that the Senate may propose.
“I think we have less than a month left. We need to pass a budget then, give it the executive so we need to consider the time for that also,” Basa said.
He said they gave the minority bloc members a copy of the draft bill and scheduled an entire day for discussing it with them.
“For them to say that we did not give them enough time is unfounded,” he added. “So I don’t buy it that they were not given an opportunity. They had all the opportunity to look at the bill.”
He also said that if he had only known that it requires a lot of time to perform the duties of the Ways and Means chairman, “I would have probably chosen another committee.”
“I learned a lot. It’s interesting, but in the end we succeeded. Despite the different views, in the end, we became closer and have respect for each other,” Basa said.
Aside from Benavente, those who voted against the passage of the budget bill were Saipan Republican Reps. Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero, Ramon A. Tebuteb, Francisco S. Dela Cruz, Antonio P. Sablan, Ray N. Yumul and Joseph M. Palacios.
Aside from Basa and Ogumoro, the other members of the House who voted in favor of the bill were Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, House Floor Leader George N. Camacho, Ind.-Saipan, Reps. Frederick P. Deleon Guerrero, Ind.-Saipan, Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, Raymond D. Palacios, Covenant-Saipan, Teresita A. Santos, Ind.-Rota, Eliceo D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, Sylvestre I. Iguel, Covenant-Saipan, Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, and Trenton B. Conner, R-Tinian.
Absent was Rep. Edmund S. Villagomez, Covenant-Saipan.
