Rep. Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan and chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said he is aware of the mounting opposition against House Bill 17-45 or the Pay Reduction Act of 2010.
But he still believes that the bill is in the best interest of the cash-strapped CNMI government.
“This is a very controversial bill. With all due respect to the people of the CNMI, I don’t want to be the sacrificial lamb. Some people are saying this would be my first and last term. I expected those comments but something needs to be done,” he told the Variety.
“This is a matter of courage and conviction,” he added. “This is the problem of the entire commonwealth.”
Senate President Paul A. Manglona, Ind.-Rota, said they invited Basa to join them in the public hearings for H.B. 17-45 but he declined the invitation.
The Senate today will either reject the bill in its entirety or pass an amended version exempting the Public School System from the measure.
Basa said he’s not likely to reintroduce the bill if the Senate rejects it nor will he come up with another version to reduce the government payroll by 12.5 percent this Fiscal Year 2010.
“What is the point of reintroducing the same measure if they’re going to kill it again?” the freshman lawmaker asked.
Prior to the passage of H.B. 17-45 in the House of Representatives, Basa sponsored House Bill 17-22 which called for the closure of public offices every other Friday and the nonpayment of certain legal holidays.
But the House rejected H.B. 17-22.
