 FSM Congress News, August 25, 2003PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): August 25, 2003 - Today Congress met in brief during the opening of the Second Special Session. Speaker Peter Christian appointed Vice Speaker Claude Phillip to chair the special committee to wait on the President along with Senators Dohsis Halbert, Isaac Figir and Roosevelt Kansou as Members of the same committee. During that brief meeting the standing committees announced their work schedules and plans for the five-day session. Congress will consider the fiscal year 2004 budget as its number one priority and the nominations submitted by the president as its number two. Other matters will be considered only if the nature of its urgency met the agreement of the Members. The Committee on External Affairs will hold hearings tomorrow starting at 1:00 p.m. The hearings will focus on the nominations of Mr. Sebastian Anefal for the position of Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Kandhi Elieisar to be the FSM's Ambassador to Japan. The Hearings will be held at the Central Conference Room. The Committee on Ways and Means announced its meeting for 1:00 p.m. today. Members of the committee will discuss how to approach the proposed fiscal year 2004 budget and other measures pending before it. The other committees will also meet tomorrow to discuss matters they will consider during the 5-day special session. Introduced for recognition were representatives of the diplomatic offices, consultants to the various departments and offices of the national government, acting members of the president's cabinet and a few citizens who were in the gallery observing the opening of the 2nd Special Session of the 13th FSM Congress. Pastor Weldis Willy delivered the invocation. Congress recessed at 11:30 a.m. and will reconvene tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. |