‘House didn’t OK salary cap exemptions’

The House leadership said yesterday that it has never sanctioned salary cap exemptions for a few “favored” individuals.

This came after the governor’s press secretary, Pete Callaghan, refuted statements by House Speaker and Covenant gubernatorial candidate Benigno R. Fitial criticizing the administration’s granting of over-the-cap salaries to certain consultants and Executive Office officials.

Fitial, during his campaign kick-off Sunday, accused the Babauta administration of only favoring “a few people.”

Fitial reportedly said that granting over-the-cap salaries is a classic example of the administration’s favoritism.

Callaghan said, though, that salary exemptions can only happen at the concurrence of the Legislature, including the House of Representatives, as required by law.

“But Speaker Fitial never approved those exemptions,” said House leadership spokesman Charles Reyes Jr. yesterday.

Reyes said there may have been exemptions made in the past “but not under this leadership.”

Callaghan, meantime, said that about four Cabinet members receive salaries over the capped amount of $50,000.

“I think there are four under the Governor’s Cabinet…and the list was sent to the Legislature for approval. The House and Senate neither raised any objections at the time it was sent, which was during the first year of the Babauta administration,” said Callaghan.

During the 13th Legislature, the House of Representative, led by then Speaker Heinz Hofschneider, passed House Bill 13-175, giving the necessary legislative sanction to the salary of senior policy advisor Robert Schwalbach, former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Edward Camacho, DPS Deputy Assistant for Administration Franklin Babauta and DPS Deputy Assistant for Operations Sandy Tudela.

The Babauta administration had also submitted the names of the following individuals for salary cap exemptions: Emergency Management Office director Rodolfo Pua and Special Assistant for Customs, Quarantine, Policy and Research Frank R. Taitano.

Other names considered for over the cap salaries were capital improvement project management consultant Charles Jordan and special advisor Adam Turner.

Reyes hinted yesterday that some other Governor’s Office staff are getting more than the $50,000. “I’m still checking the records,” he said.