She said since the enactment of the law that suspended the honorarium of the youth senators, there has been no change in the way they performe their duties.
“It was a very good gesture from our youth senators [to propose the suspension of their honorarium] and this is something they wanted to do,” Reyes told Variety yesterday.
She said the youth senators continue to show their eagerness to learn and serve as shown by their attendance records, achievements and programs.
Reyes noted that the $25 honorarium for each member from Oct. 2007 to Jan. 2008 amounted to only $1,100.
“Current Youth Congress members have not received any compensation for sessions held since the enactment of P.L. 15-128, which eliminated the $25 compensation of youth senators that they were entitled to under P.L. 8-27,” Reyes said. “However minimal the savings realized from the enactment of P.L. 15-128, the action of the 10th CNMI Youth Congress, specifically, Youth Speaker Anita Hofschneider, who was instrumental in the enactment of P.L. 15-128, is very commendable.”
“The members believe that if you want to help and serve the community, like the youth senators, it should be voluntary on their part,” Reyes said, adding that although the amount saved is minimal “any single penny counts now for our government.”
There are 23 members of the Youth Congress which holds one organizational, three regular and three special sessions throughout its one-year term.
