THE House members of the bicameral conference committee on Wednesday invited their Senate counterparts to a budget conference at 1:30 p.m. today, Thursday, Sept. 29 in the House chamber, to draft a fiscal year 2023 budget bill acceptable to both houses.
FY 2022 ends this Friday, Sept. 30. There will be a partial government shutdown if no new balanced budget is enacted into law on or before Oct. 1.
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Senate conferees responded to the House request, saying that they want the conference to be held in the Senate chamber.
The House conferees are House Ways and Means Chairman Donald Manglona, Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, House Floor Leader Ralph N. Yumul and Rep. Celina Babauta while the Senate conferees are Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee Chair Victor B. Hocog, Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan, Sen. Karl R. King-Nabors and Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz.
In his letter to Hocog on Wednesday, Manglona said, “We sincerely hope to meet with you and the Senate conferees at the time set in this letter or at a time [when] the Senate conferees will be available.”
Due to the “expedited time nature” Manglona asked that “we call this joint meeting as an emergency meeting consistent with the Open Government Act provisions,” adding that they would not be able to provide the normal 72-hour notice under the OGA.
The Senate agreed, he said.
