Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

Nena Signed Fifth Special Session Acts into Law

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service): April 17, 1997
– Acting President Jacob Nena, on April 4, 1997, signed into law
Congressional Act No. 9-150 designating it as Public Law No. 9-140;
Act No. 9-141 as Public Law No. 9-141 and Act No. 9-157 as Public Law
9-142 and transmitted on the same day copies to Congress Speaker Jack
Fritz.

Public Law No. 9-140, amended Public Law No. 9-095, concerning
education and youth development which subsequently was amended by
Public Law No. 9-103, by further modify the use of certain of the
funds appropriated for Mortlocks as follows: decreasing the original
amounts to $3,000 each for Lekinioch, Nema, Kuttu, Oneop, Losap,
Satwan, Namoluk, Piis-Emwar, Ettal, and Ta Elementary Schools and
decrease to $4000 travel money for Moch Elementary School. It also
increased Mortlocks youth sports competition by $20,000 to a total of
$71,500, and $5,000 for water tanks and $6,000 for site supplements
for Junior High School and $15,000 for vehicles for students
attending schools in Oregon.

Public Law No. 9-141, to further amend Pohnpei Statewide Public
Project in Public Law No 6-74, as amended by Public Law No. 6-101 and
7-105, to change the use of $5,000 previously appropriated for
roofing PATS High School basketball court to PATS vehicle purchase.
The new law also extend the lapsing date to September 30, 1998.

Public Law No. 9-142, amended the Fiscal Year 1997 National Budget
to a total of $13,604,032, increasing the operating expenses of the
Executive Branch by $1,135,227 which is apportioned as follows: the
President’s Office’s $32,447; FSM Consulate Guam $26,967; FSM
Consulate Honolulu $50,000; FSM Embassy in Fiji $31,321; FSM United
Nation Mission Building Lease $539,526; Accounting Division in the
Department of Finance $8,000 for travel; $303,466 for Special
Education personnel expenses; and an increase of $7,900 in Budget
Office.

The operating expenses of the FSM Congress increased by $248,000
to a total of $3,098,400. The increase include $153,000 for
contractual services in the Office of the Speaker giving each member
a total of $30,000 representation; staff travel $10,000 and $20,000
others; the operating expenses of the Congressional Delegation
Offices were also increased as follows: Kosrae Delegation Office
$10,000; Pohnpei Delegation $20,000; Chuuk Delegation $39,200; and
Yap Delegation $17,000.

There is an increase of $2,000 in travel funds for the National
Postal Service.

Public Law 9-142 also appropriated $71,505 salary increases for
College of Micronesia-FSM; a $200,000 new appropriations for the
Joint Committee on Compact Economic Negotiations and its Secretariat
operations and $40,000 for FSM delegation travel to Tokyo for
roundtable discussions and Compact-related discussions.

There is new appropriation of $300,000 in the development budget
as FSM contribution to the third patrol boat being constructed in
Australia.

With the latest amendment, the new total of the FSM National
Budget for Fiscal Year 1997 is $29,857,264. The Compact provides in
Title Two, Article 1, section 211(a)(2) that the FSM shall receive
“[…] $40,000,000 annually for the five years commencing on the 10th
anniversary of the effective date of this Compact. Over this 15 year
period, the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia shall
dedicate an average of no less than 40 percent of these amounts
annually to the capital account subject to the plan referred to in
Section 211(b),” which is the “[…] official economic developments plan
provided by those Governments [the FSM and Marshall Islands] and
concurred in by the Government of the United States prior to the
effective date of this Compact.”