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Senate Business Update: Budget in final approval, gov’t board members confirmed

Rendering of proposed new Fono Building
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Both the Senate and House have approved in final reading their respective versions of the final fiscal year 2020 budget bill. Each chamber is now going through the process of approving each other’s budget version, before one version is sent to Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga for his review and approval, which must be done before 12 midnight Sept. 30th — before the start of the new FY 2020 on Oct. 1st.

As previously reported by Samoa News, there’s only one amendment in the final budget bill, but it doesn’t inflate the total, which remains at $421.48 million.

The final budget is funded with more than $88.10 million in local revenues; $21.52 million in Interior Department grant-in-aid; $9.73 million in Capital Improvement Projects; $129.95 million in Special Federal Grants; and a  $174.15 million Enterprise Fund.

GOVERNMENT BOARDS

Yesterday in the Senate, senators confirmed members to three government boards and commissions.

•    Businessman Manu’a Chen to the Territorial Bank of American Samoa;

•    Fonoti Simanu to the Territorial Planning Commission; and

•    Poe Mageo; Paula Stevenson-McDonald ( replacing Taotasi Archie Soliai who declined the nomination); Deputy Secretary of Samoan Affairs, Malemo Tausaga; and Tuli Freuan to the American Samoa Visitors Bureau.

The only nominees from the three boards/commissions that made it yesterday morning to the Senate confirmation hearing were Chen, Mageo, and Stevenson-McDonald.

However, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee recommended, and the full Senate voted on all the above nominees — some nominees were off-island for medical reasons, while others were unable to return to the territory in time to attend the hearing.

Senators wanted to move forward with the nominations before the current legislative session closes on Oct. 2nd.