Guam senators unanimous on latest budget bill

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) Senators have unanimously approved a budget bill for Guam's next fiscal year after going back and forth with Gov. Eddie Calvo on previous drafts.

Territorial lawmakers passed the bill Wednesday, sending the bill to Calvo's desk after multiple vetoes of previous versions, Pacific Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/179jJjX ).

Calvo's spokesman Troy Torres said the budget contains pet projects the administration doesn't agree with. But he said Calvo's office understands that if lawmakers don't get over their impasse, they'll start the new fiscal year without a budget.

"So we'll take a close look at this budget bill," Torres said. "And if push comes to shove, the governor has the authority to line-item-veto appropriations."

The final amount of the budget is not immediately clear. An earlier version of the bill without its final changes had $722 million in general fund revenue.

The bill includes cost-of-living increases for more than 6,000 retirees and $17.2 million for Guam Memorial Hospital. It also includes giving Calvo authority to use more money from executive budgets to help bail out the hospital if needed.

Sen. Ben Pangelinan, chairman of the territorial legislature's finance committee, said spending increases prioritized education, health and public safety.

"My main priority of setting aside $120 million for tax refunds remained intact, which will undoubtedly assist all the taxpayers of Guam in receiving their tax refunds in a timely manner," Pangelinan said.

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Information from: http://www.guampdn.com