Acting Gov. Eloy S. Inos was ready to sign House Bill 17-215 on Saturday but Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan said the administration was surprised to learn that senators failed to pass H.B. 17-179, which aims to fix the tourism funding adversely affected by the budget bill.
Demapan, in an email, said Inos started reviewing the bill on Saturday.
The review continued as of 3 p.m. yesterday because “there are still problematic provisions that we feel the Legislature did not adequately resolve despite recommendations from the administration,” Demapan said.
He said Inos is looking into the provisions on the Office of the Public Auditor’s fee, the increase of funding for the Legislature, the mayor of Saipan as well as the municipalities of Tinian and Rota.
These increases, Demapan added, were not taken into account in the governor’s budget proposal.
He said another area of concern is the decrease of funding for the Marianas Visitors Authority.
“It was the understanding of the administration that the Senate would pass H.B. 17-179 simultaneously with this appropriations act to supplement MVA’s operational budget since the Legislature slashed it by 56 percent or from $5 million to $2.1 million. The administration was surprised to learn that the Senate decided to hold off on passing H.B. 17-179,” Demapan said.
He added that the administration is also “troubled” to once again see a budget bill transmitted at the 11th hour.
Demapan noted it has been nearly six months since Gov. Benigno R. Fitial submitted his budget proposal to lawmakers.
“Had the Legislature worked on a budget bill months earlier, there would have been adequate time to come up with a bill drafted with more care and precision,” Demapan said.
“Nonetheless, the administration would like to avert a shutdown, but it also must ensure that a balanced and efficient budget is enacted for the coming fiscal year. Thus, the administration may come up with a decision as early as tomorrow,” he added.
H.B. 17-179, or the Tourism Promotion Act of 2011, will impose a $15 travel and promotion fee on carriers for every arriving passenger from origins other than the U.S.
It also establishes a tourism promotion revolving fund to be administered by the Department of Finance secretary, and into which the collected travel fees will be deposited on a monthly basis.
H.B. 17-179 will also provide “incentives” to tour agents that bring in visitors from South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.
Some senators on Friday expressed concerns regarding the Finance Department’s authority to collect the travel fees.
But Sen. Ralph DLG, Torres, R-Saipan, assured they will pass H.B. 17-179 after making some “minor changes” to the bill.
Lawmakers on Friday expected Inos to sign the bill right away and prevent another partial government shutdown which last year further reduced the salaries of hundreds of government employees.
Except for Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, who was not happy about giving the Senate the $138,000 leadership account that was also provided to the House of Representatives, the rest of the House members on Friday voted yes to adopt the bicameral conference committee report recommending the passage of House Bill 17-215, which appropriates $102 million for the government in FY 2012.
Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, said nine senators should not receive the same amount of leadership account provided to the House which has 20 members.
The budget bill was transmitted by the House at around 6 p.m. Friday to the Senate whose members passed it unanimously.
While Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, “has a strong feeling” that Inos will immediately sign the bill, Sen. Jovita M. Taimanao, Ind.-Rota and co-chair of the Senate-House conference committee, is certain the acting governor will approve the measure on Saturday.
Inos earlier met with the conference committee before it finalized the new version of the budget bill.
Senate President Paul A. Manglona, Ind.-Rota, said he was hoping the measure would be enacted right away.
He noted that Inos worked with the conferees for the past four days and was “well versed” with the latest version of the bill.
Cabrera said the CNMI government needs a new general appropriation measure by Oct. 1 so “I have a strong feeling that he will sign it,” he added, referring to Inos.
The acting governor, he said, conveyed the administration’s concerns during the bicameral committee meetings.
Rep. Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan and co-chairman of the panel, said the important thing is that a government shutdown will be avoided.
House Floor Leader George N. Camacho, Ind.-Saipan, said all he wants to see is the budget signed “as soon as it is transmitted to the administration.”
Rep. Fredrick P. Deleon Guerrero, Ind.-Saipan and one of the budget conferees, said the people can’t wait for the last hour. “As far as I’m concerned, it would be better if the bill is signed as soon as possible.”
Rep. Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, said the sooner the budget bill is signed, the better it is for everyone.
The next thing he and his colleagues must do is to continue to find ways to generate more revenue so they can restore the 80 working hours of government workers, he added.
The people in the galleries of both chambers applauded when the bill’s passage was announced.
Manglona, Cabrera and the rest of the lawmakers from both chambers, for their part, commended the budget conferees: Basa, Taimanao, Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider, R-Tinian, Sen. Ralph DLG. Torres, R-Saipan, Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, Reps. Sylvestre I. Iguel, Covenant-Saipan, Demapan and Deleon Guerrero.
Last year, an unprecedented partial government shutdown was in effect for eight days because the House and the Senate could not agree on the budget.
