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Nena Signed Fifth Special Session Acts into Law

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service): April 17, 1997 - Acting President Jacob Nena, on April 4, 1997, signed into law Congressional Act No. 9-150 designating it as Public Law No. 9-140; Act No. 9-141 as Public Law No. 9-141 and Act No. 9-157 as Public Law 9-142 and transmitted on the same day copies to Congress Speaker Jack Fritz.

Public Law No. 9-140, amended Public Law No. 9-095, concerning education and youth development which subsequently was amended by Public Law No. 9-103, by further modify the use of certain of the funds appropriated for Mortlocks as follows: decreasing the original amounts to $3,000 each for Lekinioch, Nema, Kuttu, Oneop, Losap, Satwan, Namoluk, Piis-Emwar, Ettal, and Ta Elementary Schools and decrease to $4000 travel money for Moch Elementary School. It also increased Mortlocks youth sports competition by $20,000 to a total of $71,500, and $5,000 for water tanks and $6,000 for site supplements for Junior High School and $15,000 for vehicles for students attending schools in Oregon.

Public Law No. 9-141, to further amend Pohnpei Statewide Public Project in Public Law No 6-74, as amended by Public Law No. 6-101 and 7-105, to change the use of $5,000 previously appropriated for roofing PATS High School basketball court to PATS vehicle purchase. The new law also extend the lapsing date to September 30, 1998.

Public Law No. 9-142, amended the Fiscal Year 1997 National Budget to a total of $13,604,032, increasing the operating expenses of the Executive Branch by $1,135,227 which is apportioned as follows: the President's Office's $32,447; FSM Consulate Guam $26,967; FSM Consulate Honolulu $50,000; FSM Embassy in Fiji $31,321; FSM United Nation Mission Building Lease $539,526; Accounting Division in the Department of Finance $8,000 for travel; $303,466 for Special Education personnel expenses; and an increase of $7,900 in Budget Office.

The operating expenses of the FSM Congress increased by $248,000 to a total of $3,098,400. The increase include $153,000 for contractual services in the Office of the Speaker giving each member a total of $30,000 representation; staff travel $10,000 and $20,000 others; the operating expenses of the Congressional Delegation Offices were also increased as follows: Kosrae Delegation Office $10,000; Pohnpei Delegation $20,000; Chuuk Delegation $39,200; and Yap Delegation $17,000.

There is an increase of $2,000 in travel funds for the National Postal Service.

Public Law 9-142 also appropriated $71,505 salary increases for College of Micronesia-FSM; a $200,000 new appropriations for the Joint Committee on Compact Economic Negotiations and its Secretariat operations and $40,000 for FSM delegation travel to Tokyo for roundtable discussions and Compact-related discussions.

There is new appropriation of $300,000 in the development budget as FSM contribution to the third patrol boat being constructed in Australia.

With the latest amendment, the new total of the FSM National Budget for Fiscal Year 1997 is $29,857,264. The Compact provides in Title Two, Article 1, section 211(a)(2) that the FSM shall receive "[...] $40,000,000 annually for the five years commencing on the 10th anniversary of the effective date of this Compact. Over this 15 year period, the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia shall dedicate an average of no less than 40 percent of these amounts annually to the capital account subject to the plan referred to in Section 211(b)," which is the "[...] official economic developments plan provided by those Governments [the FSM and Marshall Islands] and concurred in by the Government of the United States prior to the effective date of this Compact."