Senate passes amended FY2027 budget to avert shutdown

The Senate passed an amended version of House Bill 24-108 HS1 (FY2027 budget), SD1, on Sept. 27, 2026, by a unanimous roll call of the seven members present. The measure, presented by the Senate’s fiscal affairs committee, was adopted after a floor amendment and is intended to provide time and funding adjustments to prevent a shutdown of Commonwealth government operations.

Senator Jude Hauschneider, chair of the Senate Committee on Fiscal Affairs, described the Senate’s version as “a budget that is realistic to the current fiscal state of the Commonwealth” and said the package balances limited projected revenues with targeted priorities such as the public school system. The bill was originally introduced in the House by Representative John Paul Sablan and transmitted to the Senate on Sept. 18, 2026. After the committee’s floor amendment was adopted, the clerk recorded seven votes in favor and none opposed.

The Senate’s SD1 package includes multiple changes to the House version: reserving excess earmarked funds and 50% of revolving accounts for legislative appropriation, revised allocations for the CNMI Public School System (PSS), technical edits to schedules and definitions, and adjustments to executive reprogramming authority. The presiding officer noted the vote met the emergency-session threshold under interim rules and that the session’s purpose was to avoid disruption to government services.