Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
CNMI Senate passes FY2026 budget bill with amendments
Loading...
Summary
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate approved House Bill No. 24‑46 (House Draft 1) as Senate Substitute 1 on Sept. 26, adopting a FY2026 budget ceiling and a set of amendments including 25% reprogramming authority, transfers to mayors, and funding adjustments for public lands and public‑safety pay items.
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate on Sept. 26 passed House Bill No. 24‑46, House Draft 1, as Senate Substitute 1, approving a fiscal year 2026 budget package and a set of committee amendments.
The bill — described by the chairman of the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee as setting a budget ceiling of $179 million for FY2026 — passed on a roll call of eight‑zero after the Senate adopted a committee amendment. Senators and committee leaders said the changes respond to revised revenue projections the administration provided to the legislature earlier in the week.
Fiscal Affairs Chairman Jesus Mossy, identified himself when offering the amendment, and read a list of substantive changes the committee inserted into the house bill. Those provisions included a cap on donated sick leave hours, new reprogramming authority, allocations tied to outside grants, and several special‑revenue and trust‑fund transfers. “Notwithstanding any laws to the contrary,” Mossy read, the bill, as amended, grants the governor up to 25 percent reprogramming authority and gives mayors the same 25 percent reprogramming authority for their municipalities.
The amendments also address several allocations and reporting requirements described on the Senate floor: the Department of Corrections will be responsible for costs to transport detainees between municipalities for court appearances; excess Office of Grants Management (OGM) receipts above a threshold noted in the amendment are to be reserved for group health and life insurance and the Commonwealth’s 25 percent retirement‑share obligations; and solid waste management revolving funds are prioritized to pay hazardous‑pay amounts for Saipan, Tinian and Rota employees, with a written report to the secretary of finance and the Department of Public Works due in 2026.
The amendment requires the secretary of finance to transfer monthly shares of hotel occupancy tax to municipal mayors so that each mayor receives not less than $175,000 before the end of the fiscal year, with quarterly remittances of $43,750 and corresponding quarterly reports due within 30 days after each quarter. The amendment also reserves $210,000 from an IPI settlement fund to pay portions of final salaries owed to former Commonwealth Casino members, and it instructs the secretary of finance to reserve a balance for payments toward the 25 percent retiree share in FY2026.
The Fiscal Affairs Committee increased the Department of Public Lands operating allocation for FY2026 from $4.8 million to $6 million and specified that $4 million in the DPL holding account be remitted to the Marianas Public Land Trust on or before Oct. 15, 2025, in addition to other constitutional and statutory remittances.
Committee and floor members repeatedly noted that the Senate and the House are working from numbers initially submitted in April and July and that the legislature received notice of reduced revenue projections only days before final Senate action. Floor Leader (identified in the record as the member who moved for passage) said the House and Senate expect to revisit the budget if additional resources or revenue revisions are reported after the bill is signed.
An amendment offered by Jesus Mossy and seconded on the floor passed on a roll call vote of eight in favor, zero opposed. A subsequent roll call on final passage recorded eight votes in favor and zero opposed; the clerk announced, “With all eight members voting yes, House Bill number 24‑46 passes this Senate in the form of Senate Substitute 1.”
Senators on the floor flagged several follow‑up items the legislature may address when it returns to budget work, including adjustments tied to potential loan proceeds discussed with the administration and the Marianas Public Land Trust remittance schedule. Leaders said they hope to deliver a final product to the governor for consideration soon.
Votes at a glance House Bill No. 24‑46, House Draft 1 — Passage as Senate Substitute 1 Motion: Passage of House Bill No. 24‑46, HD1 (as amended) Mover: Floor Leader (moved on the record at 13:32:79) Second: not specified on the record Vote: 8 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain Outcome: approved
Amendment to HB 24‑46 (offered by Jesus Mossy) Motion: Adopt committee amendment (text read on the floor; amendments modify reprogramming authority, trust transfers, hazardous pay prioritization, reporting deadlines and related provisions) Mover: Jesus Mossy, Chairman, Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee Second: not specified on the record Vote: 8 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain Outcome: approved
What happens next The bill was adopted by the Senate and will proceed to the continuing legislative process for the House and governor’s consideration per established procedure; Senate floor remarks indicated leaders expect to revisit the budget if new revenue information becomes available.
