With only two weeks left in the fiscal year, the budget panel composed of four members from each house is expected to start its work at 10 a.m. today.
Rep. Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan, told reporters yesterday that they, the House conferees, will “fight” for the individual members’ discretionary funds which the Senate “zeroed out” in its version of House Bill 17-215.
As in the budget deliberations last year, Basa, who chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means, will once again head the conference panel.
Joining him from the House are Reps. Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, and Fredrick P. Deleon Guerrero, Ind.-Saipan.
Rep. Ray N. Yumul, R-Saipan, who was earlier appointed to the panel, was replaced yesterday by Rep. Sylvestre I. Iguel, Covenant-Saipan.
It was Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan who replaced Yumul.
Yumul voted for the Senate version of the budget bill. He told reporters yesterday he was not upset about being removed from the conference committee. He said he is glad Iguel will join the budget panel this time.
Discretionary funds
Since both the Senate and House of Representatives already agreed to satisfy the funding requests of the Public School System and Northern Marianas College, Basa said the number of issues facing the joint panel has been trimmed down to a very few, including the individual members’ discretionary funds.
Basa said it is “absurd” to zero out the individual members’ allocations. He said each lawmaker needs to hire staff to run their offices.
He said he agrees to provide PSS and NMC the amount they need but lawmakers now have to find other sources for their discretionary funds.
“I will fight for that,” he said, adding that he can accept a lower amount just enough to retain his office staff, “but don’t make it zero.”
The House proposed a total of $1 million for the House members’ individual allotments; $138,000 for the House leadership account; $464,183 for the Senate’s individual accounts; and $110,000 for the Senate leadership accounts.
But the Senate substitute bill scrapped the leadership accounts and the discretionary funds.
Basa said once the bicameral budget talks start, he will remove the $120,000 to subsidize charter flight to Rota as proposed by the Senate. That amount should go to PSS and NMC, he added.
Senate President Paul A. Manglona, Ind.-Rota, told reporters that the Senate does not want another partial government shutdown. He said he is happy to say that as in the past, the Senate will honor the recommendations of the conference committee.
He added that he would urge the panel to review the budget for PSS and NMC. And from there, he said, “it’s up to them.”
