GOVERNOR David M. Apatang on Tuesday submitted to the Legislature a proposal to add $5.9 million to the revised fiscal year 2026 government spending plan.
According to the governor’s letter to Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez and Senate President Karl King-Nabors, the additional funding comes from two sources: $1 million in net distributable interest income from the Marianas Public Land Trust, and the $4.9 million in unrestricted funds from the Public School System identified in House Bill 24-70.
HB 24-70, authored by Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao, allows PSS to use these unrestricted funds for its FY 2026 budget.
With the $5.9 million increase, the governor said the total general revenues available for FY 2026 appropriation would rise from $138.4 million to $144.3 million.
Apatang proposed the following distribution of the additional funds:
- Public School System — $2.9 million
- Marianas Visitors Authority — $1 million
- Rainy Day Fund — $1 million
- Tinian Mayor’s Office — $500,000
- Rota Mayor’s Office — $500,000
The governor also noted that the U.S. Congress ended the federal government shutdown on Nov. 12, 2025, addressing the food crisis.
He said the proposed allocation ensures $40 million for PSS, which he emphasized is crucial to bringing students back into the classroom. Instructional time, he said, “should not be taken away from our students.”
The additional funding would also bring MVA’s total allocation to $8.5 million to support tourism recovery, while the proposed Rainy Day Fund would help the government mitigate future critical emergencies.
Apatang urged lawmakers to swiftly pass the revised budget to support government operations, programs, and the Commonwealth’s fiscal recovery.
