The House of Representatives approved by unanimous vote yesterday the governor’s request for $720,000 to fund construction of a new center for the Territorial Administration on Aging Office in Tafuna.
The funds are to come from the Fiscal year 2019 surplus funds which according to the governor’s State of the Territory address to the Fono in January was estimated at $721,482.
The Senate has shelved the same bill.
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee had recommended that he bill be rejected.
However Senate President Gaoteote Palaie requested that the bill be left in Committee until a later time.
The Senate has already rejected another administration bill which earmarks 1% of the 2 percent added to the wage tax in 2012, to fund the education of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel.
The governor commented at yesterday’s cabinet meeting that if the Fono has a better solution than what the administration is proposing, it should bring it up instead of rejecting or shelving the administration’s bills.
He said no new taxes are being added to fund these bills. The source of funding for one bill is surplus funds of Fiscal Year 2019 and the other is 1% of the wage tax which is already going to the hospital.
The governor said lawmakers should be reminded the Fono passed this bill.
He elaborated that the health and welfare of the elderly should not be taken lightly.
“The new location of the TAOA Center is for the safety of our elderly fathers and mothers because the present location in Pago Pago is not safe,” said Lolo
Regarding the new medical scholarship fund, the governor told directors that for all of them when they get sick , they go off island for treatment.
But for 99.9 percent of the population, their only option is the LBJ Hospital.
He said when an elderly Samoan woman gets sick, she prefers to see a Samoan doctor because they can communicate in Samoan, not Chinese or Korean.
Lolo summed up that when Samoan doctors on the LBJ Hospital staff now like Iotamo Saleapaga, ReeseTuatoo and Annie Fuavai leave, there are no more Samoan doctors. Same with the Department of Health.
He said the bill now before the Fono is intended to prepare a cadre of local doctors to staff the hospital and health department like it was done in the past.
The governor directed the LBJ and DOH leadership to pick some effective people to make lawmakers understand why the bill is necessary. He also urged that directors talk to their representatives in the Fono to support the two bills.
