Gov. Ralph DLG Torres believes it is time to give salary raises to department chiefs due to their expansive duties and responsibilities.<\/p>\n
Torres noted in a previous interview that he believes it is time to raise the salaries of his Cabinet members, while \u201cdeputies in other departments\u201d make significantly more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely believe that it is about time that they get a higher salary. They are the only position that was not given a raise. With all the responsibilities and duties the secretaries have, for sure, it\u2019s about time that they get a salary increase,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
According to Torres, Cabinet members make on average about $54,000 per annum, while \u201cdeputies in other departments\u201d make about $50,000 to $90,000 per annum.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives passed last Feb. 27 Rep. John Paul Sablan\u2019s (R-Saipan) House Bill 20-35, HD2, with a vote of 15-3, that would give Cabinet officials up to 80-percent salary hikes.<\/p>\n
Reps. Edwin K. Propst (Ind-Saipan), Vinson Sablan (Ind-Saipan), and minority leader Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) voted against the bill. <\/p>\n
Sablan amended the bill to allow for the inclusion of the director of the new Office of Planning and Development, as well as to amend the Cabinet members\u2019 salaries.<\/p>\n
Rep. Vinson Sablan (Ind-Saipan), one of three who voted against H.B. 20-35, said in a statement that the total additional funding required to reflect the Cabinet member\u2019s salary adjustments was significantly high.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe total additional funds needed for the adjustment is $747,385 [per] year, assuming all the officials receive the maximum cap. We are looking at an approximate $10,000 average raise to an already significant pay level per annum per official,\u201d said Vinson Sablan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese funds could go to pay adjustments of entry-level or mid-level employees who have been waiting years for adjustments. These are also funds that could be used to pay down [government] obligations. At the end of the day, it\u2019s a question of where our priorities should be as a government,\u201d he said, adding that he believes additional funding obtained through government revenues should go to government services for the public\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n
The governor, during the same interview with Saipan Tribune, said that more priority would be placed on appropriating funding \u201cthe right way.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that we do affects the fiscal funding. We have another bill\u2026to turn the Northern Marianas Trades Institute into a department. That is also a budget constraint in terms of the whole calculation of revenue. That is another one of the priorities that we need to look into,\u201d he said, commenting on the bill.<\/p>\n
H.B. 20-35, HD2 now heads to the Senate for review and action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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