 Congress calls in departments and offices for budget hearingPALIKIR, POHNPEI (FSM Congress): May 19, 2009 - Following last week's Opening Day ceremonies, the President's National Address and the State and National Leadership Conference, the Sixteenth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia is back on track with its national budget session. The Congress sessions in May, in addition to seating new Congress, have always been the session for the national government budget. Along with a busy week at the national government, the new Congress was also in the middle of its own reorganization to place members of the Congressional Standing Committees, especially in the newly created committee. During the final session of the 15th Congress in May, a resolution was adopted to separate the Committee of Education from Health and Social Affair, thus creating a new committee to mirror the same divorce at the Executive Branch. With the new Committee on Education, the FSM Congress now has seven Congressional Standing Committees: Education; Ways and Means; Judiciary and Governmental Operations; Resources and Development; External Affairs; Transportation and Communications and the recently divorced Committee on Health and Social Affairs. In order to accommodate all seven committees, the public hearing schedule has been extended to also include Saturdays. Having been reorganized, is now in the middle of its public hearings with the departments, offices and agencies of the national government for their Fiscal Year 2010 budget which starts on October 1, 2009. The 16th FSM Congress recessed today to allow ample time for the various committees to meet with entities relevant to each committee. The committees are expected to be in meetings all day throughout the week. The public hearing schedule is available on the website of the FSM Congress: www.fsmcongress.fm |