Rep. Ramon S. Basa, who chairs the bicameral panel, said he is very confident that the product of the four-day budget conference will get the approval of all lawmakers.
The compromise, he said, centered on the additional funds for the Public School System, Northern Marianas College, “operational budget” for each lawmaker, leadership account and the municipal governments of Tinian and Rota.
Basa, Covenant-Saipan, said it was fortunate that the education fee which the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will charge for each transitional worker visa applicant “came into place.”
Rep. Fredrick P. Deleon Guerrero, Ind.-Saipan. said without this new funding source they would have to come up with lower allocations.
From the $51,000 as the House earlier proposed and which the Senate zeroed out, each member’s “operational budget” was increased to $78,000.
The final draft also brought back the $138,000 House leadership account as earlier proposed by House but zeroed out by Senate. And from only $110,396 as the House earlier proposed, the Senate’s leadership account is now also $138,000.
The budget panel also gave way to the Senate’s proposal to give the Legislative Bureau $1.4 million. The House earlier proposed $1 million only.
The Rota municipal government now gets $4.5 million. The House earlier proposed $4.4 million while the Senate recommended $4.7 million,
Tinian will get $4.5 million. The House proposal was $4.3; the Senate, $4.7 million.
The budget panel also agreed to remove the $120,000 that the Senate earlier appropriated for the subsidy of charter flights from Japan to Rota.
PSS which the House earlier gave $27 million, now gets $30 million while NMC which House earlier gave $4.2 million, now gets $5.2 million.
Asked where else they got the money aside from the CW fees, Basa said they took some from Office of the Public Auditor which he said usually returns leftovers every year.
Freehand
Basa said the conference committee was given a freehand to decide on the budget.
Unlike last year when the leaders of both houses failed to come to an agreement during the budget deliberations, Basa said this year’s meetings are different.
From the get-go, he said both the speaker and the Senate president made it clear that they were not going “to barge into our affairs.”
The budget conference, he said, was completely independent this time.
“There was no influence from any of the leadership or anybody. We were given freedom,” he added.
Basa said they communicated with the administration, with acting Gov. Eloy S. Inos in particular, but only regarding potential outside funding sources like the CW fees.
“I’m very amazed that the whole four days of meetings were very cordial and professional. Everybody was focused on the objective. Although we argued about some things, but in the end we resolved the difference and came into an agreement. And it was really a smooth process,” Basa said.
He is very confident that both houses will pass the final version.
“I don’t see any snags or any hurdles. The speaker gave his word that he is going to support the outcome of the conference. The Senate, too, gave its word.”
