Sen. Jovita M. Taimanao, Ind.-Rota and chairwoman of the Senate committee, said they have been meeting with department officials since Monday to discuss the government’s financial condition.
They met with the officials of the Public School System and the Board of Education on Monday morning, the Department of Lands and Natural Resources in the afternoon and the judiciary on Tuesday.
There will be similar meetings with Northern Marianas College and the Department of Public Lands on Aug. 1; the Marianas Visitors Authority and the Department of Commerce, Aug. 2; the Saipan mayor’s office and municipal council, Aug. 3; the governor’s office and the Attorney General’s Office, Aug. 4; the Department of Public Health and the Department of Public Works, Aug. 5; the Commonwealth Election Commission and the Department of Labor, Aug. 8; the Department of Finance, the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections, Aug. 9; and the Legislative Bureau, Aug. 10.
Taimanao said the budget the Legislature is considering is not the same as the individual submissions from the departments and other agencies.
Taimanao said the FY 2012 budget proposal increases from 30 to 60 percent the government’s retirement contribution while projecting a decline in revenue.
From $122 million, the administration’s budget proposal has gone down to $102 million and is likely to be reduced further.
