THE House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Ralph N. Yumul on Tuesday tabled House Bill 23-9 which proposes to require a legislative review and appropriation of the CNMI government’s non-locally sourced funds.
Authored by Rep. Denita Yangetmai, H.B. 23-9 mirrored the intent of H.B. 22-33 which sought to empower the Legislature to appropriate American Rescue Plan Act funding. The 22nd House “passed” the measure authored by then-Rep. Donald Manglona by a “11-10” vote with the House speaker voting twice. The Senate did not act on it.
Manglona is now the vice president of the 23rd Senate and chair of its Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee.
H.B. 23-9 was among the bills on the Ways and Means agenda Tuesday, but the committee agreed to table it after Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao, the panel’s vice chair, raised two concerns:
1) The bill’s language allowing the Senate to adopt a joint resolution to appropriate non-locally sourced funds may take away the House’s authority to appropriate government funds. Attao said any appropriation measure must come from the House, and not from the Senate.
2) Attao said there is also a need to clearly define “non-locally sourced” funds that are intended to be appropriated by the Legislature because there are federal funds allocated to CNMI government entities and autonomous agencies for specific programs. The Legislature doesn’t have the authority to appropriate such funds, Attao said.
H.B. 23-9 states that current reconciliation language requires states and territories receiving federal assistance to provide certain guarantees and certifications concerning federal funds.
For instance, in order to receive a payment, a state, territory or tribal government shall provide the U.S. Treasury secretary a certification signed by an authorized officer that the funds shall be spent in a manner that is consistent with the intent of the granting entity.
Yangetmai’s bill doesn’t apply to the federal funds received by the Public School System, the Office of the Public Auditor, Northern Marianas College, and other CNMI autonomous agencies.
Denita Yangetmai
