THE House of Representatives at 3 p.m. on Friday unanimously passed a substitute version of the $121.6 million revised fiscal year 2023 budget which reflects a reduction of executive branch work hours to 72 from 80 due to depleted American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The FY 2023 budget measure or Public Law 22-22 appropriated $109.7 million in local revenues and over $32 million in ARPA funds, which were supposed to pay for 20% of the CNMI government’s personnel cost.
The revised FY 2023 budget no longer includes ARPA funds.
On Friday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ralph N. Yumul, who authored the bill, asked Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez to place it on the calendar for first and final reading “because of time sensitivity with ARPA funds running out.”
Prior to the roll-call vote, Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao offered a substitute bill which included a provision establishing an account for deficit reduction.
Attao said this will allow the administration to address the government’s deficit should there be additional revenue collection.
The CNMI Constitution states: “If an operating deficit is incurred in future fiscal years, the government shall retire the deficit during the second consecutive fiscal year following the year.”
The substitute bill will also allow the Legislative Bureau to move its funds from personnel to operations.
In addition, it created an additional number of personnel for the Department of Public Works’ Technical Service Division, the Department of Finance, the Office of Management and Budget, and the offices of the mayor on Tinian and Rota.
Tinian’s Rep. Patrick San Nicolas thanked the administration of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios for his decision to cut executive branch work hours to 72 instead of 64.
He said he’s hoping that should there be additional revenue collected, the offices of the mayors of Tinian and Rota would receive additional funds for their respective operations.
Senate session
For its part, the Senate held a session starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday to unanimously adopt House Concurrent Resolution 23-1 with a technical amendment offered by Sen. Frank Q. Cruz.
Sens. Cruz, Jude U. Hofschneider and Karl King-Nabors, who were on Tinian, attended the session via video teleconference.
The concurrent resolution accepts the governor’s proposal to revise the FY 2023 budget.
The Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee chairman, Senate Vice President Donald M. Manglona, said his committee will convene on Wednesday to review the House substitute version of the revised budget bill.
Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez presides over a House session on Friday.
Senate Vice President Donald M. Manglona, right, speaks about the revised fiscal year 2023 budget during a Senate session on Friday.
