In an interview yesterday, Fitial said he is satisfied with anything that will allow government employees to continue receiving their salaries.
“If we will have austerity Fridays, that’s better than payless paydays,” he said.
The House of Representatives earlier passed H.B. 15-45 which proposed a 10-hour work reduction.
But the Senate amended the bill due to widespread opposition from members of the public.
The Senate version instead proposed unpaid legal holidays and revenue generating measures.
The House rejected the Senate amendments and both chambers formed a conference committee to produce a version acceptable to all lawmakers.
House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan, said the conference committee has come up with a “workable” measure.
Basa said the Senate has finally realized the necessity of austerity Fridays.
The bill applies to all full-time employees including those of the autonomous agencies, municipal entities and those funded by federal grants.
Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider, R-Tinian, said both sides are now reviewing the language of some of the provisions.
He said the Senate wants the bill to indicate how much savings will be made once it is enacted into law.
There are also concerns about the inclusion of federally funded employees, he added.
“We are basically fine-tuning certain provisions of the bill,” Hofschneider said.
The Senate, he added, decided to reconsider the House austerity measure due to the seriousness of the government’s financial problems.
The sooner the austerity measure is passed, the less pain the government will have to endure, he added.
But the Senate, he said, will also insist that the House look into revenue-generating measures, which include new taxes or tax hikes.
Last June 18, a payday, most government employees did not receive their salaries due to lack of funds.
