 FSM Congress News, May 19, 2003PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): May 19, 2003 - In order to allow the Standing Committees time to continue with their public hearings, Congress met briefly this morning and decided to take a short recess from plenary until Friday, May 23. Floor Leader Asugar urged Members of the Committee on Ways and Means to consider the bill introduced last week, which would allow the President to reprogram up to ten per cent from the departments and offices in the executive branch. Asugar further urged the committee to circulate its draft report on the bill in order for the other Members to fully understand the intention of the bill before the bill comes for 1st Reading consideration when they return Friday. Speaker Peter M. Christian urged the committee on Health, Education and Social Affairs and other committees to consider the proposed FY 2004 budget top priority of Congress and asked the committee chairmen to continue with their public hearings. The Committee on Transportation and Communication will hold hearings with the Department of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure tomorrow morning at 8:30. The hearing will take place at the Central Conference Room. The Committee on Ways and Means will hold its hearings with the President's office at 1:00 p.m. today. The hearing will be held at the Central Conference Room. Tomorrow morning, May 20, the Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations will have its oversight and budget hearings with the Division of Immigration and Labor at 10:00, the Division of National Police at 10:30, the Division of Law and Litigation at 11:00 and the office of the Secretary of the Department of Justice at 11:30. In the afternoon at 3:00 of the same day, the Committee will hold hearings with the Micronesian Legal Services and the National Judiciary. At 3:00 p.m. May 22, the same committee has scheduled to hold hearings with the Public Defender Office and the Postal Services. The Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee will hold all its hearings at the Central Conference Room. The Committee on Resources and Development will meet with the NORMA and the CDA on Wednesday, May 21, at the Central Conference Room. The Committee on Health, Education and Social Affairs will meet today at its committee room to discuss schedule of hearings with the Department of HESA and the College of Micronesia-FSM. The Committee on Resources and Development held public hearings before this morning session with the Department of Economic Affairs. Like the other offices the committee had held public hearings with, it asked the department officials to walk the committee through their operation and point to what they see as obstacles and how they react to them as they service. The Committee on Ways and Means held its first committee hearings today at 1:30 p.m. with the office of the President. The committee wasted no time to direct their quarry to reprogramming of funds from departments and office to the President's travel account. The committee learned the reprogramming of funds by the former president were exaggerated as department officials used that avenue to reprogram funds for their own use. Congress took to recessed at 10:45 and will reconvene on Friday, May 23, at 10:00 in the morning. |