EXCEPT for the Department of Public Safety, the rest of the executive departments and agencies failed to comply with the governor’s directive to limit their budget requests to the administration’s fiscal year 2003 revenue projections.
Gov. Juan N. Babauta disclosed this during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. He issued a new directive to Cabinet secretaries, agency and activity heads to submit “within 48 hours” a revised version of their budget requests.
If no adjustments will be made, the Office of the Governor will make the adjustment, Babauta said.
Only DPS conformed to the budget “ceiling” required by the revenue projections.
The administration expects to collect $210.814 in FY 2003. This is an 8.76 percent increase from the FY 2002 projection of $193.369 million.
However, despite this projected increase, the government will not be able to fund additional expenses, Babauta said.
He said the increase in the budget requests had placed the Office of Management and Budget in a “precarious situation.”
The deadline for the submission of the budget bill is May 1.
Tourism goal
In other news, the governor says lawmakers support the administration’s goal to bring in 100,000 additional visitors from Japan this year.
Babauta will meet with the members of the Strategic Economic Development Council to determine the funding required for this goal.
“Once we finally come up with the figure we need, then we will ask the Legislature to pass an appropriation measure,” Babauta said. “As you can see from the statements made by the speaker, he and the other lawmakers are supportive of our tourism industry,” Babauta said.
