THE Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed the compromise version of the fiscal year 2022 budget measure or House Bill 22-74, which appropriates $103.3 million for government personnel and operations.
The budget bill now goes to the House of Representatives, which is expected to pass it on Thursday. A new and balanced budget has to be enacted by Oct. 1 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
All the eight senators present voted yes to pass H.B. 22-74. Senate Vice President Justo Quitugua was present but was not in the chamber during the roll-call vote.
The other senators present were Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider, Senate Floor Leader Vinnie Sablan, Sens. Victor Hocog, Paul Manglona, Francisco Cruz, Karl King-Nabors and Edith Deleon Guerrero. Sen. Teresita Santos attended via videoconference.
Attached to the FY 2022 budget measure is Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ FY 2022 expenditure plan for $175 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The CNMI received a total of $481.8 million in ARPA monies from the federal government.
The CNMI government has to spend the rest of the ARPA money in FY 2023.
Prior to the passage of the budget bill on Tuesday, Hocog, who chairs the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee, presented the bicameral conference committee report that adopted the compromise version of the budget bill.
He also informed the Senate president of what transpired during the bicameral conference committee meeting on Friday, how the contentious parts of the budget were debated and how Senate and House conferees came to an agreement.
Hocog reported that from $2.6 million as the House earlier proposed, the conferees agreed to reduce to $1,083,249 the amount of the government subsidy to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
He said $1.5 million will go to Rota and Tinian municipalities as proposed by the Senate. The bicameral budget panel also agreed to remove the Senate’s proposal to concur with the governor’s use of ARPA funds for salary adjustments for government employees for FY 2022.
Manglona asked Hocog if deleting the provision means there will be no salary adjustments for cabinet members and certain government officials in FY 2022.
Hocog answered, “I assume that is so.”
Manglona said the issue “needs to be clarified,” and may need to be “addressed in subsequent legislation.”
Sen. Victor B. Hocog, center, listens to Sen. Karl King-Nabors while Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan, right, reviews his notes during a Senate session on Tuesday.
Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider addresses his colleagues during a Senate session on Tuesday.
