The Fono is not making any changes to the fiscal year 2021 budget bill that it has already passed.
Meeting in a joint session this morning, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to let stand the budget bill that was sent to Governor Lolo Moliga on September 29 but which the Governor has opted not to sign into law.
House Speaker Savali Talavou Ale and Senate President Gaoteote P. Tofau explained at the start of the joint session that the Fono has done its work and approved the budget with amendments that it feels are in the best interest of the territory, They said that if the governor does not agree with the changes he can veto parts of the budget he does not agree with.
The only senators who had a different point of view, were senators Faamausili Mau Mau Jr and Fonoti Tafaifa Aufata. 
They recommended that the Fono approve the budget that the governor proposed, so that government operations can be carried out as planned.
They were also thankful for the governor’s leadership which has kept American Samoa safe from COVID-19 and the Fono should respect the governor’s wish.
The Fono leaders pointed out that the budget bill landed on the governor’s desk on September 29 and there was time for him to act on the bill prior to the start of the new fiscal year on October 1.
Senate President Gaoteote said as it is now the government is operating on an executive order that the governor issued though he also has questions about that authority.
Speaker Savali also explained that the half a million dollars added to the special programs budget is for lawmakers’ offices.
He told KHJ News that this funding is to construct offices in the new Fono building because the current plan includes just the Senate and House chambers without any offices for members.
Senator Magalei Logovii noted that the Governor has asked for an explanation of the cuts made by the Fono. He said this is not the Fono’s job. Rather the Governor and the Budget Director can go through department budgets and identify what to reduce, “but to say that it would come from salaries is not right.”
At the end of the discussion, the Speaker put to the floor, a motion by Rep Gafatasi Afalava for the Fono to reaffirm the FY2021 budget bill it has already approved. The motion was passed by the majority by a show of hands.
And with that the special session of the Fono which the governor had called for 15 days or as soon as the FY2021 budget bill has been finalized, was closed.
As we’ve reported earlier the Fono cut $6.5 million from the proposed FY2021 budget reducing the amount from $465.9 million to $459.4 million.
