Guam - Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Senator Ben Pangelinan, is continuing to gather information in order to finalize the Fiscal Year 2011 budget.  Pangelinan saying the committee is about a third of the way through the public hearing process, with the Department of Education next to appear before lawmakers.

Said Pangelinan, "Each school will have opportunity to come before the speaker's committee, as well as the Committee on Appropriations, justify their budget and make a pitch for any additional funding that they feel they may need and we will compile this into a single budget for the Department of Education."

Pangelinan says deliberation on DOE's budget alone will take about three weeks.  Some major agencies that still need to come before the committee include Public Works, Rev & Tax, Public Health and the Guam Memorial Hospital.