The American Samoa House and Senate have approved a fiscal year 2009 budget bill which includes some changes made by the House but not all.
The compromise was reached after about an hour of deliberations by a joint conference of both houses.
The budget bill to be sent to the governor totals the original amount submitted by the administration of $140 million.
The $7.7 million that is assigned to the territorial Department of Homeland Security, but not yet approved by the federal authorities is included.
The American Samoa Power Authority gets its 2009 budget request intact, $90. plus million.
The House gave in to Senate lobbying to restore this amount to the ASPA budget lest the utility company raises rates.
$30,000 that the House cut from the Visitors Bureau budget was also reinstated in the final budget bill.
The Fono has deleted $294,00 from the Fono budget, $224,000 from the Territorial Office for Fiscal Reform budget and $136,000 allocated to pay the power bill for the Executive Office Building. .
All other additions that the House had made to department budgets are approved in the bill.
