Fono approves FY2019 budget bill intact…no changes

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The bill providing the Fiscal Year 2019 budget for the American Samoa Government  is now approved by both the House and Senate in final reading.

The budget as proposed by the Lolo Lemanu administration remains intact without any changes made by the Fono.

Even the $18.2 million that the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority intended to loan from the Retirement Fund to pay for the Hawaiki Cable, was left unchanged.

This despite the fact that the House approved bill which would have authorized the loan, has been tabled by the Senate.

The budget totals $439.5 million, an increase of 11% over the FY2018 budget.

During final review of the budget bill by the joint Senate and House budget committees last Friday, Senator Magalei Logovii who led the hearings again raised the $100,000 proposed in the Governor’s Special Programs for Hope House.

He still had concerns about this money being channeled to a church organization saying this had implications with the separation of church and state doctrine.

But having made this argument the Tuala-uta senator suggested that the funding be put under the governor’s Contingency Fund.

But Senator Faiivae Alex Godinet, who also chairs the Council of the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago which operates Hope House, argued that the funding is not going to a church; rather it is going to the only facility of its kind on island to care for the elderly and children needing respite care.

He added that the home doesn’t care for only Catholics but accepts people from all religions.

House Speaker Savali Talavou Ale echoed Faiivae’s  statement and backed up that the funding as proposed under Special Programs should remain.

With support from Senate President Gaoteote to leave the Hope House funding as is under Special Programs the joint budget committees voted to approve the FY2019 budget bill as presented.

Today both the House and Senate approved the appropriations bill in final reading by unanimous vote.