SENATE President Jude U. Hofschneider, in his capacity as acting governor, on Friday vetoed House Local Bill 22-31, which would appropriate $350,000 for the Saipan Mayor’s Office and $80,000 for the Kagman watershed project.
These proposed appropriations were part of House Local Bill 22-27 but were line-item vetoed by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres when he signed Saipan Local Law 22-10 in April. Later that month, the House unanimously overrode the governor’s line-item veto, but the Senate had yet to follow suit.
Rep. Corina Magofna reintroduced the proposed local appropriations in House Local Bill 22-31, which the Saipan delegation unanimously passed earlier this month.
In his veto message, Hofschneider “reiterated” the governor’s recommendation to disapprove the measure.
He “strongly” advised Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez and the Saipan delegation chairman, Senate Floor Leader Vinnie Sablan, “that these funds be appropriated to support the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance office so that we may continue to invest in the future endeavors of our students.”
Hofschneider “further encouraged” Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang “to maximize the available American Rescue Plan Act funding already designated to his office for its operational needs.”
As for the proposed $80,000 for the Kagman watershed project, the acting governor said he has disapproved it “with this critical project’s substantial needs in mind following assurances provided by correlating departments and agencies that this project will be prioritized and provided with adequate and related funding assistance within the coming months.”
Magofna commented on Wednesday that it was “very unfortunate that the acting governor vetoed my…bill to appropriate $350,000 to the mayor of Saipan for his operations, and $80,000 to the Kagman watershed project. The mayor’s office could sure use these funds for its operations. And likewise with [the Department of Land and Natural Resources] to use the $80,000 to help with its Kagman project.”
Jude U. Hofschneider
