‘80-pct. salary hike is problematic’
The $145-million fiscal year 2018 budget bill sailed through the House of Representatives on Monday on a handy vote of 17 “yeas” but failed to secure the backing of three opposition lawmakers, who questioned the inclusion of a clause that would give elected officials an 80-percent salary hike, while giving civil service employees just a 5-percent increase.
Voting against the bill—mainly because of the salary hike—were Reps. Edwin Propst (Ind-Saipan), Vinson Sablan (Ind-Saipan), and minority leader Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan).
The House minority bloc is composed of Reps. Villagomez, Propst, Sablan, Blas “BJ” Jonathan Attao (Ind-Saipan), and Lorenzo I. Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan).
Both Villagomez and Propst questioned the legality of the pay hike.
Propst pointed out that lawmakers in the19th Legislature had a pecuniary interest when they approved to pass the law that paved the way for the pay hike since many of them knew that they were going back in the succeeding legislature, and therefore should have abstained from the vote.
Villagomez agreed with this and cited Propst’s bill, House Bill 20-39, which proposes to remove the salary increases provided in Public Law 19-83. Villagomez co-sponsored that bill.
The bill pointed out that the Advisory Commission on the Compensation for Elected Officials went beyond “the 60-day limit and failed to submit a report to the Legislature within the specified timeframe.”
“Due to their inability to act in a timeframe required by law, the Legislature finds that the increase in salaries for elected officials should be considered null and void,” stated the bill cited by Villagomez.
Sablan did not really delve too much on the legality of the salary hike. His concerns were more on the basis of the salary increase.
“I wanted [to know] if the work of the commission sufficed,” he said, questioning the basis of the salary increases.
“They did their work and made some recommendations but the report that was used to so-called ‘calculate’ the consumer price index or so was late, so there were issues with that,” said Sablan. He added that he was more focused on “how the raise was given” as opposed to the reasoning behind the raise.
“I voted no because I wasn’t satisfied with the legal interpretation of the counsel,” he added.
Ways and Means committee chair Rep. Angel Demapan (R-Saipan) said the salary hike is already a law, and the committee had a fiduciary duty to stand by and uphold the law.
“Without any litigation ordering otherwise, the Ways and Means Committee is bound to abide by the law and [PL 19-83] set those new salary scales,” he said, adding that it wasn’t necessarily his committee that recommended the increase but rather “the committee has a duty to follow the law—and that is the existing law.”
Demapan also pointed out that both Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Lt. Gov. Victor B. Hocog’s salary increases were not included in the budget proposal since Public Law 19-83 states that the increase would be implemented in the upcoming term, meaning the 2019 governor and lieutenant governor would get the increased salaries.
The 2019 governor and lieutenant governor would be compensated at $120,000 and $100,000 per annum respectively.
The budget bill indicates an increase of $30,700 for both House and Senate members while mayors of each senatorial district would get an increase of $31,800, effectively bumping legislators’ salaries to $70,000 per annum and $75,000 per annum for mayors.
The budget bill is currently awaiting adoption by the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian), before being acted upon by the Senate.
“Problematic” is an understatement! If approved, enjoy it while you can you greedy #£@$’s, because come election time, you will be civilians (Lord Willing). Sighting “Following the Law” is a joke! You want to play that Trump card while you procrastinated and failed to meet the reporting deadline? This hypocrisy should not go unnoticed by the voting public, who benefit Nothing. Sleep well on your new Temporpedic mattresses and goose down pillows while your “Constituents” struggle payday to payday.
I agree. Guess they want all they can get before election, but what have they done to earn it?
Not only is this legislation problematic but symptomatic of the aura of indispensability among pro-increase legislators. Call it arrogance.
It saddens me so much that 80 percent increase is seen as justifiable for those that voted in favor while more than 50 percent of the CNMIs household live in poverty trying to figure out how to stretch the hard earned dollar that they worked for, how to buy the basic needs of their children, how to put food on the table for the family, how to pay their utilities bill some probably don’t have any and sadly live with lanterns or candles at night because they can not afford CUC, and the many financial concerns facing the majority of CNMI families living in poverty, how can many of you whom I personally know in your conscience do this to the government employees and their families…please do not conveniently help yourselves…it is sinful and seriously look yourselves in the mirror when you wake up in the morning and ask yourselves if you are deserving of the 80 percent…if I was sitting in your position I will reverse the percentages to 80 percent for the employees and their families who are very deserving of such increase. This is the conscience that you all should have been guided with.
it sure is a problem. Greed is the problem. You don’t earn what you were getting let alone more. These are little islands not large populations of millions. Fix the poverty and the destitution before you fill your pockets with more of the taxpayers money.
I bet they are excited to get that 80% increase. They got it made now. No education, no business experience, no real job experience, career politicians are really moving up in life. Too bad the people that voted them in are poor and near dirt level! No wonder why the Spanish called the Marianas the “Island of Thief’s”.
Everyone who signed on to the increase should be VOTED OUT!