Inos told reporters on Friday that the administration still hopes the bicameral conference committee will draft a balanced budget soon so the governor can act on it before Oct. 1, the first day of fiscal year 2012, and avoid another partial government shutdown.
“This is urgent. There is already a 16-hour cut imposed on government workers. Imagine what will happen if there will be another shutdown,” he added.
Last year, lawmakers failed to pass a new budget on time, resulting in an eight-day partial shutdown.
Inos said the administration will have to again prepare a list of critical services that must be exempted from the shutdown.
The number of exempted positions, however, will depend on how long the shutdown will last, he added.
For the first week of shutdown, Inos said at least 40 percent of the executive branch’s 1,700 employees will be exempted.
These are employees with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Public Safety.
Teaching jobs in the Public School System and Northern Marianas College will also be exempted, he added.
But not all federally funded positions will be exempted because there are some federal programs using local funds, Inos said.
Those that require matching local appropriations, he said, “could be an issue“ so it’s going to be a case by case situation.”
He added that the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s enforcement program, for example, is federally funded and may be exempted from shutdown.
But the number of exempted positions will have to be reduced if the shutdown continues, Inos said.
Even some positions that provide critical services, he added, may be affected.
Although the administration, is ready for a shutdown, Inos said it is still hoping that the bicameral budget panel will finally come up with a bill acceptable to both houses.
