 Public Law for Funding Public Projects and Social Programs PassesPalikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): October 26, 2010 – President Mori signed into law Congressional Act No. 16-53, which became Public Law No. 16-49, on October 15, 2010, after he item vetoed a total of twenty one line items in the said act. The Congressional Act was for the appropriation of the “sum of $2,940,000 from the general fund of the Federated States of Micronesia for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, for the purpose of funding public projects and social programs in the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and for other purposes.” The President outlined his rationale for vetoing the specified line items in a letter to Speaker Isaac V. Figir dated October 15, 2010; for the most part, he explained that the requested funding, as expressed in a majority of the items, had been analyzed as either “constitutionally defective,” or “legally vague and without a specified purpose.” The original proposed bill, as drafted during the recently concluded 5th regular session of the 16th Congress, totaled an amount of $4.2 million. The bill was reduced to just over $2.9 million, after going through thorough and careful review by all state delegations and necessary committee deliberations. The items vetoed by President Mori totaled approximately $725,000, maintaining funding for various projects in the respective states at slightly over $2.2 million. Among the problematic items, seven were related to “leadership travel,” four were regarding “project management,” three were in connection with “relief assistance,” and another three were bulk appropriations ranging from $100,000 to $210,000, for use in the states of Yap, Kosrae, and Pohnpei.
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