MONROVIA – The Liberian Senate on Thursday concurred with the House of Representatives on the passage of the Special National Budget that runs from July 1 to December 2021 in the tone of US$347,908,000.
The proposed budget by the Senate is US$500,000 more than what the House of Representatives passed and forwarded to the Senate for concurrence. Therefore, both Houses would have to convene a conference committee meeting to reconcile the two figures before sending it to the President for approval and signing into law.
Interestingly, the Senators allocated US$2 million in the Special Budget for “Outstanding Legislative Action”.
FrontPageAfrica could not ascertain what constitutes ‘outstanding legislative action’.
The legislature also allotted US$1 million for the repair of the Capitol building; water system at Capitol – US$250,000; lightening the Capitol – US$100,000; and US$80,000 for the legislative modernization project.
In other allotments, the Legislature allotted US$ 2.5 million for Covid-19 vaccines; US$1.5 million to the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), while Ministry of Education will receive US$,750,000.
The lawmakers have also allotted US$750,000 for street lights; US$2.5 million for security. T-VET program under the Ministry of Education takes US$150,000; mental health programs get US$30,000 as allotment.
Sexual and Gender-based road map will receive US$200,000; domestic debt – US$ 1million; World Cup qualifier US$725,000; Ministry of Youth and Sports US$519,000, and WASSCE US$2 million.
Contingency in the concurred budget for fiscal period accounts US$500K, while Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) city cleaning is allotted US$250,000.
In other allotments, the Legislature has also allotted to the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) for cleaning US$275,000, while roads construction accounts for US$4 million with the road fund being allotted US$2 million.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) takes US$1.5 million.
The John F. Kennedy (JFK) referral hospital is being allotted US$100,000; the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) recruitment takes US$1 million; security hubs under the Ministry of Justice takes US$500,000, and Police, US$200,000.
The Liberia Agency for Community empowerment (LACE) has been allotted US$800,000 for the Omega Market project, amongst others.
US$150 million accounts for employees’ compensation while goods and services accounts for US$26, 636,000.
Lawmakers took an unprecedented path during the hearing processes into the draft National Budget by holding separate hearings into the budget contrary to the usual joint hearings.
The House of Representatives passed the Special Budget for Fiscal period in the tone of US$342,186,000. It was submitted by the executive to the Legislature in the tone of US$301.549 million,
The introduction of the Special National Budget which will cover a period of six months which began July 1 and would run to December 31, 2021. It is aimed at positioning the government to move from Fiscal Year (July to June) to Calendar Year (January to December).
The decision is in line with the amended Public Financial Management Law.
The Senate also adopted all of the fiscal measures outlined by the Committee to guide the process. Some of these measures include budgetary appropriation for the Liberia Revenue Authority to be paid immediately upon collection of revenue by the budgetary rate of 5 percent of revenue collection until its budgetary ceiling is realized in accordance with the act creating the LRA. Also, all social development funds including the land rental fees shall be transferred directly to the county’s escrow accounts.