Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature. 26 April 2022 Photo: Facebook / Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature
The Northern Marianas legislative bureau and youth congress will implement austerity measures from Monday next week.
The Marianas Variety reported bureau director Perry Tenorio citing a revised fiscal year 2026 budget, saying management has to implement a reduction in work hours to ensure fiscal sustainability.
Effective 12 January, staff of the bureau and youth congress will have their work hours reduced to 72 hours per pay period.
Tenorio said the adjustment is "a direct response to the budgetary constraints imposed by the revised budget, aligning our expenditures with available funding".
Tenorio said the austerity measure "aims to minimize impacts on Legislative Bureau and Youth Congress staff as much as possible while striving to maintain essential services".
He said the changes, which will have impacts on staff overtime and salaries, will remain in effect for the 2026 financial year, unless additional resources are identified.
It comes as Northern Marianas governor David Apatang tightens the belt across the board.
Apatang last week signed the Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Act into law - but only after vetoing line items he said would have pushed the budget out of balance.
Overall spending was set at US$134.5 million, a level the administration said reflects the ongoing reality of declining general fund revenues.
