Members of the Liberian Senate, after a long debate in a Special Session on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 finally concurred with members of the House of Representatives in the passage of the Fiscal Budget of 2009/2010 put at US$371,908,797.

The Liberian Senate passed the Budget with a unanimous vote after all of the arguments as Senator Mabutu Nyepan ( Allance for Peace and Democracy) of Sinoe County made the motion to pass the budget.

The senators’ concurrence with their colleagues from the Lower House to finally pass the budget was preceded by a debate in which majority of them protested against the passage on grounds that both houses’ Ways, Means and Finance Committees refused to put the budget on the various floors for additional debate before its passage.

The senators, led by senator Franklin Siakor (independent candidate) of the central province of Bong County called on members of the senate to desist from passing the draft budget in absence of additional debate from the lawmakers after public hearings were conducted by the both houses conference committee.

“I will like to take this time, to call on all of us not to allow the budget passage without it being debated” he stated, with the explanation that when the budget is debated by members of the both houses after public hearings are held, members of the National Legislature will be in the possession of it in order to insert issues that have not be looked at by the conference committee of the both houses.

The passage of the budget means that Fiscal Year 2009/2010 National Budget has an additional US$24,873,111 to the proposed Draft National Budget for Fiscal Year 2009/2010 initially put at US$347,035,686.

The additional US24 million , according to revenue configuration, has US$2,815,000 unspent revenue from Fiscal Year 2008.2009, a total of US$3,000,000 from Mittal Steel past due for social development funds for the Fiscal Year of 2008/2009, the Bureau of Maritime Affairs outstanding revenue of US$3,244,949, among others.

This year’s budget is the highest in the history of the country and surpasses that that of last year which was US$298,087,792 by a little over US$71 million.

The House of Representatives had earlier, following consultations with heads of the various governmental institutions on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 passed the Fiscal Budget of 2009/2010.