BY KATIE AIZON
Journal Staff
Gov. David M. Apatang declared a government shutdown for the Northern Mariana Islands due to the fiscal year 2027 pending approval as of Sept 30.
According to Executive Order No. 2026-022, the Office of the Governor received House Bill 24-108, the Appropriations and Budget Authority Act of 2027, at 10:36 a.m. on Sept. 30 providing an insufficient amount of time for the agency to review the FY 2027 budget prior to the Oct. 1 deadline.
The NMI Constitution, article 3, section 9(a) states, “[i]f a balanced budget is not approved before the first day of the fiscal year, no money shall be drawn from the General Fund, provided that certain government services and employees shall remain available as provided by law in order to deliver services essential to the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the Commonwealth and to protect against damage to and destruction of property.”
All government services, expenditures, and salaries of non-essential employees of government agencies under the General Fund apart from 100% federally funded positions, autonomous agencies, and public corporations not paid out under the General Fund will be suspended until the FY 2027 budget is enacted into law.
Employees who fall under “essential services”, qualifying positions determined at the Governor’s discretion, will continue to report to work and paid. List of essential services is as follows:
• Judicial Branch: All Justices and Judges, essential court staff
• Legislative Branch: All Senate and House Members, essential Legislative staff
• Board of Parole: Chief of Parole, two parole officers
• Commonwealth Election Commission: ALL
• Department of Commerce: Secretary of Commerce, two ABTC officers, one-stop office
• Department of Community & Cultural Affairs: Secretary of DCCA, all division of youth services
• Department of Corrections: Commissioner of Correction, ALL excluding administrative personnel
• Department of Finance (Saipan): Secretary of Finance, single audit team, all division directors, Operations accountant IV, Payroll payroll manager; account clerk I; accountant II, IV, Division of Customs Seaport Compliance Section, Customs Seaport, and Customs Airport inspector I, II, II; Lieutenant, Postal Services inspector I, II; Office of Information Technology network administrator, Revenue and Taxation Collections Branch revenue tech I, II; revenue officer I, II; revenue enforcement officer III; cashiers, and Division of Treasury CNMI treasurer and two personnel for accounts payable.
• Department of Finance (Tinian and Rota): Division of Customs for passenger and luggage inspection activities only
• Department of Public Lands: Secretary of DPL, Ranger I and II for Managaha
• Department of Public Safety (Saipan, Tinian, Rota): Commissioner of DPS, ALL excluding administrative personnel
• Department of Fire and EMS (Saipan, Tinian, Rota): Commissioner of Fire, ALL excluding administrative personnel
• Department of Public Works: Secretary of Public Works. Solid Waste Management Division accounting technician I; trades helper; tradesman; equipment operator II, III, IV, Building Safety Code Division building safety code inspector, Technical Services Division civil/highway branch manager; highway administrator; highway cad designer; highway engineer I, II, III; highway inspector
• Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office: Special assistant, communications operators
• Office on Aging (Saipan): One cook II, one driver
• Office on Aging (Tinian and Rota): One cook per jurisdiction, one driver per jurisdiction
• Public Defender’s Office: Public Defender and attorneys, one administrative staff/legal assistant
• Public School System: ALL
• Northern Marianas College: ALL
• Liaison Office (Tinian and Rota): Liaison Officers, 1 medical attendant per jurisdiction
• Mayor’s Offices (Saipan, Tinian, Rota): All mayors, 10 essential staff per jurisdiction
• Northern Mariana Island’s Mayor’s Office: Mayor, 3 essential staff mbj
Journal Staff
Gov. David M. Apatang declared a government shutdown for the Northern Mariana Islands due to the fiscal year 2027 pending approval as of Sept 30.
According to Executive Order No. 2026-022, the Office of the Governor received House Bill 24-108, the Appropriations and Budget Authority Act of 2027, at 10:36 a.m. on Sept. 30 providing an insufficient amount of time for the agency to review the FY 2027 budget prior to the Oct. 1 deadline.
The NMI Constitution, article 3, section 9(a) states, “[i]f a balanced budget is not approved before the first day of the fiscal year, no money shall be drawn from the General Fund, provided that certain government services and employees shall remain available as provided by law in order to deliver services essential to the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the Commonwealth and to protect against damage to and destruction of property.”
All government services, expenditures, and salaries of non-essential employees of government agencies under the General Fund apart from 100% federally funded positions, autonomous agencies, and public corporations not paid out under the General Fund will be suspended until the FY 2027 budget is enacted into law.
Employees who fall under “essential services”, qualifying positions determined at the Governor’s discretion, will continue to report to work and paid. List of essential services is as follows:
• Judicial Branch: All Justices and Judges, essential court staff
• Legislative Branch: All Senate and House Members, essential Legislative staff
• Board of Parole: Chief of Parole, two parole officers
• Commonwealth Election Commission: ALL
• Department of Commerce: Secretary of Commerce, two ABTC officers, one-stop office
• Department of Community & Cultural Affairs: Secretary of DCCA, all division of youth services
• Department of Corrections: Commissioner of Correction, ALL excluding administrative personnel
• Department of Finance (Saipan): Secretary of Finance, single audit team, all division directors, Operations accountant IV, Payroll payroll manager; account clerk I; accountant II, IV, Division of Customs Seaport Compliance Section, Customs Seaport, and Customs Airport inspector I, II, II; Lieutenant, Postal Services inspector I, II; Office of Information Technology network administrator, Revenue and Taxation Collections Branch revenue tech I, II; revenue officer I, II; revenue enforcement officer III; cashiers, and Division of Treasury CNMI treasurer and two personnel for accounts payable.
• Department of Finance (Tinian and Rota): Division of Customs for passenger and luggage inspection activities only
• Department of Public Lands: Secretary of DPL, Ranger I and II for Managaha
• Department of Public Safety (Saipan, Tinian, Rota): Commissioner of DPS, ALL excluding administrative personnel
• Department of Fire and EMS (Saipan, Tinian, Rota): Commissioner of Fire, ALL excluding administrative personnel
• Department of Public Works: Secretary of Public Works. Solid Waste Management Division accounting technician I; trades helper; tradesman; equipment operator II, III, IV, Building Safety Code Division building safety code inspector, Technical Services Division civil/highway branch manager; highway administrator; highway cad designer; highway engineer I, II, III; highway inspector
• Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office: Special assistant, communications operators
• Office on Aging (Saipan): One cook II, one driver
• Office on Aging (Tinian and Rota): One cook per jurisdiction, one driver per jurisdiction
• Public Defender’s Office: Public Defender and attorneys, one administrative staff/legal assistant
• Public School System: ALL
• Northern Marianas College: ALL
• Liaison Office (Tinian and Rota): Liaison Officers, 1 medical attendant per jurisdiction
• Mayor’s Offices (Saipan, Tinian, Rota): All mayors, 10 essential staff per jurisdiction
• Northern Mariana Island’s Mayor’s Office: Mayor, 3 essential staff mbj
