MEMORANDUM
DATE: October 1, 2020
TO: All Department and Activity Heads
FROM: Governor
SUBJECT: Guidance on Austerity Mondays for FY 2021
Pursuant to Public Law 21-35, the FY 2021 Appropriations Act, Mondays are hereby designated as “austerity days” for the CNMI Government, including its branches, departments, autonomous agencies, public corporations, political subdivisions, and instrumentality that elect to implement austerity days as necessary to operate within their respective budget allocations.
Due to the time difference between the CNMI and the US mainland, the Legislature found that it would be more conducive for government employees to work on Fridays instead of Mondays because the Federal Government is closed on Mondays in the CNMI.
Please be advised that the first Austerity Monday will be on Monday, October 5, 2020. Tomorrow, Friday, October 2, 2020 will be the last Austerity Friday for the CNMI Government, unless otherwise deemed necessary to stay within budget allocations for the respective department or agency.
Please note that Monday, October 12, 2020 is Commonwealth Cultural Day, a paid legal holiday in the Commonwealth. Therefore, the austerity day of that specific week will be observed on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.
For FY 2021, if a legal holiday in the Commonwealth falls on a Monday, the austerity day will be observed on the Tuesday of that week.