Senate will swear in new Fofo county Senator prior to regular session

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Lawmakers return today, Monday, for the official opening of the Second Regular Session of the 38th Legislature, with a priority agenda item for review and approval is the government’s proposed new fiscal year 2024 budget, which begins on Oct. 01 this year.

A handful of Fono staff and lawmakers told Samoa News that the Senate and House will convene in their respective Chambers at 10a.m and there’s no joint session.

In the Senate, senators will meet an hour before the regular session begins for the swearing in of High Talking Chief, Olo Uluao Letuli, the new senator for Fofo county.

This time of the year, the annual government budget is priority for the Fono and lawmakers are hopeful that the Lemanu Administration will submit the budget proposal as early as possible giving them time to conduct review, hold hearings and take a final vote.

Some lawmakers plan to request ASG financial reports for FY 2023 in advance of the not-yet-scheduled committee hearings, — asking specifically for a report on revenue collected so far. They also plan to seek audit reports of ASG operations and the semi-autonomous agencies.

ASG’s new FY 2024 budget threshold for local revenue is set at 5% above the current fiscal year and deadline for submission of proposed budgets for ASG entities was May 22, according to Office of Program Planning and Budget director Catherine D. Saelua’s budget call letter.

And cabinet members were informed not to include in their budget proposals their COVID-19 related grant awards — which is temporary funding and instead should be submitted separately. (See Samoa News edition May 5 for details)

No other information was available at press time of other proposed bills the Administration plans to send to the Fono for review and consideration. However, one important proposed piece of legislation that the Administration submitted to the Fono in April this year — while lawmakers were in recess — is a $278,000 appropriation for the Partial Settlement of various legal claims against ASG in the federal and local courts.

The measure includes $100,000 for the “Simeonica Tuiteleleapaga/  DOL v. ASG and DHSS, Consent Decree” civil litigation pending at the federal court in Honolulu against ASG and the Department of Human and Social Service.

As previously reported by Samoa News the parties have reached a settlement in the case, with a proposed consent decree to be submitted to the presiding federal judge.

The parties requested that the court stay the proceedings in this matter, for 120 days to allow for the finalization of appropriations. U.S Magistrate Judge Kenneth J. Mansfield granted the request, with the Scheduling Conference hearing set for November this year. (See Samoa News edition May 16 for details of the civil suit.)

Other legal settlement in the appropriation bill, would settle cases against ASG in the High Court of American Samoa.

As background information, the governor is required by local statute to deliver the State of the Territory Address to a joint Fono session in January every year. In past years, a sitting governor would address lawmakers in July or during special sessions, after communications with Fono leaders, when there are important issues that the Administration wants to share with lawmakers.