The House has now passed in second reading the administration’s interim appropriations bill to avert a shutdown of ASG, while the Senate has decided to sleep on the bill again.
Representatives have made two amendments to the proposed bill.
They have amended the number of days that the temporary appropriations bill will be effective from 30 to 60 days. They have also removed wording saying that the Fono did not approve the Fiscal Year 2021 budget and replaced it with “the budget bill was presented to the governor for his approval or disapproval.”
The House is scheduled to vote on the bill in final reading tomorrow.
There was more discussion in the Senate on the same bill. Senate President Pro Tem Nuanuaolefeagaiga Saoluaga Nua who led today’s session, while the Senate President remains hospitalized, called in the Fono counsel Nathaniel Savali and Legislative Financial Officer Talalemotu Mauga to explain and answer senators’ questions about the proposed legislation.
Savali said in the absence of a signed FY2021 budget law, a measure to continue funding for ASG was needed. He said the temporary appropriations bill from the administration is intended to address cover the funding gap.
Legislative Financial Officer Mauga told senators that based on the budget call for FY2021 issued in March, all budget requests were to be based on the approved FY2020 budget levels.
He said the Fono’s budget request was kept at $7.4 million because of the cap that was set.
Mauga also explained that in the final budget bill for FY2021 that the Fono approved, only funding for basic operations was reduced, not any other budgets.
He said the feeling of the Fono is to give the new governor leeway to come up with their own budget for the Fono to review, and also take into account that there’s three months left of the current administration.
He pointed out that in 2013 under Governor Togiola Tulafono, there were parts of the budget which he objected to that the line item vetoed. According to the LFO what is happening now is that Lolo wants the whole budget package he submitted.
The Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, Sen. Magalei Logovii, found flaws with the temporary appropriations bill.
He said the bill doesn’t name a funding source and there’s no limit on how much can be spent.
Magalei also insisted that the Fono has already passed the FY2021 budget bill but the governor has not acted on it.
Sen. Faamausili Mau Mau Jr., took issue with statements by LFO Mauga and advised that he choose his words wisely because he is not the governor.
Senate President Pro Tem Nuanuaolefeagaiga pointed out that the House is acting on its own bill and it should be with the Senate for review so they needed to make a decision.
In the end the senators went along with a motion by Senator Magalei to sleep on the bill again and discuss it further tomorrow.
