Governor Lolo Moliga has responded to the Fono leaders’ correspondence from yesterday and has stated his position regarding the FY2021 budget bill.
According to the governor’s Executive Assistant Iulogologo Joseph Pereira the governor’s letter will be made public after the Fono has had a chance to review it.
As we reported this morning, the Fono leaders yesterday informed the governor that the Senate and House have reaffirmed the FY2021 budget bill that they’ve already reviewed, amended and submitted for his signature.
This follows a one day special session of the 36th legislature that the governor called for 15 days to finalize the budget.
The Fono leaders have told Lolo that they sent him the budget bill September 28 and he had time to act on it before the start of the new fiscal year October 1st.
The governor has said he cannot sign the budget bill and he has issued an executive order to continue government operations for 15 days.
The executive order continues government operations at FY2020 levels, using “funds not otherwise appropriated or until the formal budget or other appropriations measures are adopted.”The order is for 15 days beginning October 1st.
KHJ News asked Iuloglogo for the amount that’s available to operate ASG during the 15 days of the executive order.
He said the government is operating at the FY 2020 budget level “with associated financial resources approved by the Fono for the FY 2020 budget. Spending cannot exceed the FY 2020 levels. Since the government is now starting the first quarter of FY 2021 the quarterly allocation for the FY 2020 will be the spending ceiling for all agencies of the American Samoa Government. The authorities are exempted as their budgets were not altered.”
