According to the resolution, the government’s identified total available resources amount to $149.171 million.
Of this, $1.365 million must be transferred to the cigarette excise tax tobacco control program under Public Law 13-38.
Separately, $1.585 million should be transferred to solid waste program under P.L. 13-42; $475,000 should go to the CIQ reimbursement for airport overtime; $1.69 million of hotel/container tax should be transferred to the Retirement Fund under a court order; and $3.835 million of hotel/container tax is for the Marianas Visitors Authority.
Bond payments totaling $7.656 million should also be set aside, leaving the central government with $132.565 million to spend for the next 12 months starting Oct. 1, 2010 through Sept. 30, 2011.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan, who is one of the members of the conference panel that both houses formed to settle budget issues, said they are carefully studying how each department’s needs could be adequately addressed without sacrificing vital public services.
The Public School System and the Department of Public Health have the biggest budget requests.
PSS is asking for over $38 million to operate all public schools on Saipan, Tinian and Rota, while Public Health needs over $40 million.
