The administration is projecting a revenue amount of $966.3 for fiscal 2020, which is $10 million above the current fiscal year level.
Among the salient features of the proposed budget include lifting of the freeze on government of Guam employee salary increments, setting aside 2 percent of general fund revenues omitted in the FY 2019 Budget Act and revives the idle Rainy Day Fund. The budget proposal also includes a $75,000 appropriation for the creation of cannabis testing facility-- a stalled project requirement that impedes the implementation of medical marijuana program on Guam.
“The administration also makes clear that it is committed to the timely and expeditious payment of income tax refunds. At the outset, the administration proposes to take $125 million in income tax refunds off the top before spending is authorized,” a press release from Adelup states.
Other highlights in the FY 2020 executive budget request include:
$3 million to sustain the hiring of more public safety officers;
$1.2 million to hire additional Customs and Quarantine Agency (CQA) officers;
$350,000 for a Competitive Wage Study;
$750,000 for the creation of a Cannabis Testing Facility;
$38.5 million to fund Government of Guam Retiree health insurance premiums;
allocating $3 million in Compact-Impact funds to supplement Medicaid;
allocating $2.4 million in Compact-Impact funds to fund the Consolidated Agreement between the Department of Corrections and the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority;
$1 million to fund a drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation facility;
$150,000 for a Guam Autism Center;
funding to resolve longstanding compensation issues at the DOC, the Guam Police Department (GPD), and CQA; and
$2 million to the Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) for a Triennial Property Assessment
“The first budget proposal of the administration, the executive budget request represents months of due diligence in constructing a budget that is fiscally responsible, prioritizes health, safety, and education, and provides the necessary services required to the people of Guam,” the governor’s office said.
“The FY 2020 Executive Budget Request is the culmination of a rigorous process that tested our collective ability to keep a balance between the need to live within our means and provide our people with a healthier community, a safer environment, the ability to retain and recruit more teachers, nurses and public safety officers, as well as adequately give support to our ports of entry, grow our agricultural industry, protect our environment, preserve our culture, and, ultimately, improve our overall quality of life,” Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said in her Executive Budget Request message.