From left, Senate Floor Leader Corina Magofna, Senate clerk Doris Bermudes, Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero, Senate legal counsel Antonette Villagomez and Sen. Frank Q. Cruz during a Senate hearing on Monday.
THE Senate on Monday unanimously passed its own version of House Bill 23-9, which would require legislative appropriation of “non-locally sourced funds.”
All the eight senators voted yes to pass H.B. 23-9. Sen. Paul A. Manglona was excused.
Sen. Celina Babauta, Senate Vice President Donald Manglona, Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider, Sen. Karl King-Nabors and Sen. Dennis Mendiola attended the session via video call from Tinian. They were on Tinian for a public hearing earlier in the day and were not able to return to Saipan due to “flight issues.”
Authored by Rep. Denita Yangetmai, H.B. 23-9 would allow the Legislature to appropriate non-local funds with the exemption of the federal funds allotted to the following:
1) Public School System
2) Office of the Public Auditor
3) Northern Marianas College
4) All CNMI autonomous entities and public corporations
5) Northern Marianas Housing Corporations
6) Any funds provided directly to specific grantees under the terms and conditions of a federal grant or program except when the CNMI governor or the CNMI Office of the Governor is the direct expenditure authority.
Prior to the roll call vote on H.B. 23-9, the Senate unanimously adopted the floor amendments offered by Sen. Dennis Mendiola to make the measure applicable to the reimbursements of non-locally sourced funds.
He also added a new section that applies the measure retroactively to Sept. 1, 2023.
H.B. 23-9 now goes back to the House.
