“I will tell you one thing for sure. We are gearing up for a shutdown because we have not seen the bill,” he told reporters.
Inos said to prepare for a shutdown that will be triggered by the Legislature’s failure to pass a new budget before Oct. 1, the administration is now identifying critical positions.
The CNMI experienced a partial government shutdown for the first time in history after lawmakers failed to pass the FY 2011 budget bill on time last year.
This gave Gov. Benigno R. Fitial the authority to exercise his emergency powers and choose which government services should be spared from the shutdown until the $132 million budget was passed on Oct. 8, 2010.
Inos said if a shutdown happens again, nonessential employees cannot report for work.
Compared to last year’s list of critical service positions, Inos said “it is going to be probably more stringent” this time.
But Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, in a separate interview, said he does not see any reason for another shutdown.
The Senate and the House of Representatives, he noted, have pretty much agreed to follow the governor’s $102 million budget submission.
Rep. Ray N. Yumul, R-Saipan, said the government owes a total of $34 million to vendors.
This, he added, indicates serious problems with the cash flow and may force the government to implement a partial shutdown even before the next fiscal year.
Inos said the government is still “tracking its revenue projection,” and has already noted “some shortfall in hospital collections.”
But, he added, “we are set to go until Sept. 30.”
Inos said there will be no supplemental budget for FY 2012, which starts on Oct. 1.
