PALIKIR, POHNPEI. March 26, 2020 – The 4th Special Session of the 21st Congress, having adopted measures to address the immediate needs of the COVID-19 or the Coronavirus, turned its attention to the existing needs of the communities throughout the Nation and passed corresponding legislative measures.
Measures passed during the 4th Special Session of the 21st Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia included various Congressional Acts (CA) to either change the allottees of funds or to change the use of funds previously appropriate for public projects and social programs throughout the states. Those measures that addressed the community needs of more than one state, included the following Acts:
CA 21-97, changed the use of certain funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs in the States of Kosrae and Pohnpei;
CA 21-101, changed the use of funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs in the States of Yap and Pohnpei, and also offered technical amendments to the measure; and
CA 21-103, changed the use and allottee of funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs in the States of Chuuk and Pohnpei.
Other measures passed during the 4th Special Session of the 21st Congress were specific to the community needs in each State and they included, for the state of Kosrae;
· CA 21-95, to change the use of funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs;
· CA 21-96, changed the use of certain funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs;
· CA 21-98, changed the use of certain funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs;
· CA 21-99, changed the use of certain funds previously appropriated to fund the state’s priority infrastructure projects and other public projects along with social programs; and finally
· CA 21-100, changed use of funds previously appropriated for priority infrastructure projects and other public projects along with certain social programs for the people of Kosrae State.
CA 21-102, was specific to Pohnpei State to change the use of certain funds previously appropriated for public projects and social programs in the state.
And the final Act of the 4th Special Session was CA 21-104, which changed the allottees of funds previously appropriate for public projects and social programs for the people of the Yap State, and for other purposes.
Along with the Acts, the Special Session had addressed other pending national matters through the adoption of Congressional Resolutions (CR) which included nominations for the Nation’s representatives on the international stage.
The Congress began with the adoption of CR 21-108, to confirmed the nomination of Secretary Eugene Amor of the Department of Finance and Administration to serve as the FSM Government representative to the Joint Trust Fund Committee.
Continuing with the nominations, the Congress adopted CR 21-115 and confirmed the nomination of Mr. Vincent Sivas to be the FSM Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People’s Republic of China. Similarly, through the adoption of CR 21-114, the Congress confirmed the nomination of Mr. Francis Anefal to serve as the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of the FSM in China.
The remaining resolutions centered around grants designated by the People’s Republic of China for major infrastructure needs of the FSM. Through CR 21-95, the Congress called for the equivalent of $10 million of the unexpended Chinese grants be allocated for road improvements in Pohnpei State and for $10 million to be allocated for a new vessel for Yap State to better assist the citizens disperse throughout its outer islands.
For the State of Kosrae, the Congress adopted CR 21-128, to request that the equivalent of $5 million of the unexpended Chinese grants be allocated for the improvements of roads in the state.
And the final measure adopted by the Fourth Special Session of the 21st Congress was CR 21-131, to request the equivalent of $ 20 million from the unexpended Chinese grants be allocated to the State of Chuuk to fund improvement of the roads in the state.
The Fourth Special Session of the 21st FSM Congress had convened on March 05, 2020 to review the President’s amendment to the Public Health Declaration on the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Special Session was called to be for five (5) days, but given the gravity of the issue and its impending effects on the Nation, the session was extended another two days and adjourned on March 11, 2020.
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THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS
TWC: 21-14