House passes revised FY25 revenue resolution and budget amendment, restores employee hours and sets aside $300,000 for PSS travel

SAIPAN — The House of Representatives adopted a concurrent revenue resolution for fiscal year 2025 and passed House Bill 24-6 on Jan. 13, approving a revised budget that restores government employees to 100% work hours and appropriates funds tied to the settlement fund and other priorities.

House Concurrent Resolution 24-1, “A house concurrent resolution to approve revenue and resources of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for fiscal year 2025,” was adopted by voice vote with all 17 members present recorded as yes. The statutory year covered in the resolution runs Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025.

The House then moved to consider House Bill 24-6 to amend the Appropriations and Budget Authority Act of fiscal year 2025 (Public Law 23-26). After suspending certain rules to allow immediate consideration, members debated and amended the bill. Representative Patrick Saint Nicholas offered an amendment (House Draft 1) to reserve $300,000 under ORG 11881100 for travel and lodging for students participating in Public School System (PSS) interscholastic sports leagues and academic competitions, provided PSS submits a detailed expense report in writing to the presiding officers of the legislature and the chairs of the House and Senate fiscal committees within 30 days after the end of FY2025.

The floor approved a subsidiary motion by Representative Yanktamay to add “cultural competitions” to the list of covered activities. Debate on the amendment included questions about the origin and prior allocation of related funds: several members said $650,000 had been discussed in earlier meetings as returning to PSS, with $300,000 specified under the amendment for travel and lodging and the remaining approximately $350,000 to remain in PSS’s general obligations.

Members who spoke during floor debate framed passage as time sensitive because the governor needs revised appropriations to end austerity measures and return executive-branch employees to full hours. Opponents and cautious speakers urged greater transparency and committee review, and some urged that future supplemental appropriations be referred to committee rather than passed on the floor under suspension.

On a recorded roll call for House Bill 24-6, House Draft 1, 16 members voted yes and one member voted no; the motion carried and the bill passed the House. The clerk prepared transmittal to the Senate after the vote.

Why it matters: The package affects employee work hours across the executive branch and moves a revised FY25 budget forward to the Senate and the governor. The PSS set-aside is intended to cover travel and lodging costs for students competing off-island; the amendment requires post‑expenditure reporting to legislative leaders.

Implementation and next steps: The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for its consideration; if enacted and signed, the executive branch would use the appropriated balances to restore full work hours for employees and allocate the specified funds to PSS. The amendment includes a reporting requirement for PSS expense documentation within 30 days after the end of FY2025.

Quotes: Representative Patrick Saint Nicholas introduced the amendment, saying, “So I move this motion for an amendment, mister speaker.” A subsidiary motion to expand the covered activities to include cultural competitions was offered by Representative Yanktamay.

Ending: With the House’s votes completed, clerks prepared the transmittal documents and the measure moved to the next stage in the legislative process. Lawmakers who urged more oversight signaled they expect follow-up committee briefings from PSS and from the administration about the budget’s underlying revenue assumptions.