Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia

FSM Congress News, May 19, 2003

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Congress): May 19, 2003 –
In order to allow the Standing Committees time to continue
with their public hearings, Congress met briefly this morning and decided to
take a short recess from plenary until Friday, May 23.

Floor Leader Asugar urged Members of the Committee on Ways and Means to
consider the bill introduced last week, which would allow the President to
reprogram up to ten per cent from the departments and offices in the
executive branch. Asugar further urged the committee to circulate its draft
report on the bill in order for the other Members to fully understand the
intention of the bill before the bill comes for 1st Reading consideration
when they return Friday.

Speaker Peter M. Christian urged the committee on Health, Education and
Social Affairs and other committees to consider the proposed FY 2004 budget
top priority of Congress and asked the committee chairmen to continue with
their public hearings.

The Committee on Transportation and Communication will hold hearings with
the Department of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure tomorrow
morning at 8:30. The hearing will take place at the Central Conference
Room. The Committee on Ways and Means will hold its hearings with the
President’s office at 1:00 p.m. today. The hearing will be held at the
Central Conference Room. Tomorrow morning, May 20, the Committee on
Judiciary and Governmental Operations will have its oversight and budget
hearings with the Division of Immigration and Labor at 10:00, the Division
of National Police at 10:30, the Division of Law and Litigation at 11:00 and
the office of the Secretary of the Department of Justice at 11:30. In the
afternoon at 3:00 of the same day, the Committee will hold hearings with the
Micronesian Legal Services and the National Judiciary. At 3:00 p.m. May 22,
the same committee has scheduled to hold hearings with the Public Defender
Office and the Postal Services. The Judiciary and Governmental Operations
Committee will hold all its hearings at the Central Conference Room. The
Committee on Resources and Development will meet with the NORMA and the CDA
on Wednesday, May 21, at the Central Conference Room. The Committee on
Health, Education and Social Affairs will meet today at its committee room
to discuss schedule of hearings with the Department of HESA and the College
of Micronesia-FSM.

The Committee on Resources and Development held public hearings before this
morning session with the Department of Economic Affairs. Like the other
offices the committee had held public hearings with, it asked the department
officials to walk the committee through their operation and point to what
they see as obstacles and how they react to them as they service.

The Committee on Ways and Means held its first committee hearings today at
1:30 p.m. with the office of the President. The committee wasted no time
to direct their quarry to reprogramming of funds from departments and office
to the President’s travel account. The committee learned the reprogramming
of funds by the former president were exaggerated as department officials
used that avenue to reprogram funds for their own use.

Congress took to recessed at 10:45 and will reconvene on Friday, May 23, at
10:00 in the morning.