Besides the governor’s office, the Department of Finance, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Public Works, and the Commonwealth Ports Authority have not replied to Sablan’s request.
Sablan yesterday said she sent an additional request to the Department the Finance regarding the contracts of legal counsels employed by the Legislative Bureau and each lawmaker from January to present.
She also wants to know about any deals made by the LB or legislators with any independent legal services.
Sablan asked Finance to disclose the salaries, duties and responsibilities as well as the process done in acquiring these professionals.
The fiscal year 2011 budget law allotted the LB with $1.2 million for 28 fulltime employees.
To date, however, the LB has only 24 FTEs who include two individuals from Tinian hired this year.
LB Director Glenna SP. Reyes said since January, they have filled two positions that were vacated by two legal assistants who have left the island in 2009.
One was hired in January and the other one last September.
Reyes said although LB is short of four FTEs, they have not hired new employees due to budget constraints.
When the LB clerk retired last September, she said they “reshuffled” those who were left to perform more essential tasks.
The archivist is now the journal clerk, a position that was vacated recently.
Sablan said the Department of Public Safety and Department of Lands and Natural Resources have responded to her request.
Acting DPS Commissioner Aniceto Ogumoro and DLNR special assistant Marianne Teregeyo said no attorneys have been employed or contracted by their departments since 2008. They said their legal services have been provided by the Attorney General’s Office.
Outside legal counsels
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. employs outside legal counsel.
CUC, however, referred Sablan’s request to the AGO, saying that “there might be a conflict if the agency’s private, contracted attorneys were to oversee the review, redaction, and disclosure of their own contracts, billing statements, and payment records.”
The Department of Public Lands, the Commonwealth Development Authority, the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation and Northern Marianas College said their outside legal counsels will handle the Open Government Act request.
Sablan said she is concerned about any additional costs being incurred by having outside counsels to handle these requests.
She said it is also alarming that private attorneys have decided on their own which parts of their contracts, billing statements, and payment records to redact, and which parts should be made public.
Marianas Public Lands Trust office manager Bobbie Reyes told Sablan that they are preparing the requested documents but will need more time or until Dec. 10 to do so.
The other agencies that requested for extensions are the Department of Labor and the Department of Public Lands.
Some agencies, Sablan said, will redact parts of the requested documents. These agencies also told Sablan that they are preparing statements justifying their exemptions from the Open Government Act.
Sablan said she requested these agencies to submit their statements by the 10-day deadline, even if they will require additional time to disclose the requested documents.
