Legislation for $7.4 million supplemental budget submitted to the Senate

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Government has allocated $4.1 million for the emergency response in Manu’a including but not limited to response to the Manu’a tremors and potential volcano eruptions, evacuation of residents, construction of escape routes and safe zones.

This is part of the Government’s supplemental budget for the current financial year 2021-2022 that was submitted in first reading in the Senate yesterday. Total amount requested is $7.4 million.

“Due to the urgent need to assist in providing adequate funding for government operations, this act shall be effective immediately upon passage by the Legislature and approval by the Governor.”

According to the bill the appropriated sum goes to the following agencies for the indicated purposes:

•           Legislative Branch to address additional critical operational needs for the Legislature’s operation that are not addressed in the FY 2023 budget, $500,000;

•           Governor’s office to extend the Centennial book contract to support newly created chapters to document the current administration, $250,000;

•           Governor’s Office for the completion of the American Samoa Veterans Memorial, $300,000;

•           Governor’s Office to provide local matching funds for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law projects, $500,000.

•           Dept of Legal Affairs for legal fees for off island counsel in ongoing and anticipated litigation, $500,000 and;

•           Samoan Language Commission to pay for rent, salaries, and other expenses, $500,000.

•           Territorial Audit Office to pay for salary and related personnel expenses for a Territorial Auditor or Territorial Audit Office staff, $150,000; \

•           Governor’s Office to provide for the American Samoa Resilience Commission and the Governor’s Resiliency Office for administrative and staffing needs, $100,000; and

•           Governor’s Office for drug enforcement efforts, $500,000.

According to the bill the $7.4 million shall be made available to the respective departments and agencies from unbudgeted, unobligated, and unexpended revenues from Fiscal Year 2021.

The bill was assigned to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and the chairman, Senator Magalei Logovi’i told Samoa News last weekend part of the supplemental budget would fund positions within the Audit Office.

“The Senate will not consider this supplementary budget to pay salaries. We will not do that. Salaries should be paid from local funding whereas it will continue to the next budget, not from unbudgeted funds. “I speak from experience,” said the Senator.

He added that when he was budget director, there were salary increases with the DPS using unbudgeted, unobligated and unexpended revenues that was submitted as a supplementary budget. “After those fundings from the supplemental budget ran out, we rolled back the salaries of the DPS that were increased at that time. We had no choice, because the supplemental funding was finished and there was no other revenue,” Magalei said.