SOME members of the House of Representatives said they have been approached by retirees about the holiday bonus they were supposed to receive in December.
“I’ve been approached by a retiree, and they were asking me what has been going on,” Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez said.
The retirees “are pretty receptive” when the speaker explained why it was “taking a while.”
But for other retirees, he added, “their patience is kind of running thin.”
They said “if we can get it out as soon as possible, please do,” the speaker said.
Rep. Sheila Babauta said her father is a retiree and his in-laws are retirees, and her message to them and other the retirees has always been, “We are sorry that you have had to wait this long, we are sorry that it has become so political that the delay has been months.”
She said the House leadership continues to ask for the retirees’ patience.
“We want to get your bonuses out, we had agreed to increase it from $500 to $1,000,” she said, adding that it required additional work as they had to find a funding source.
In addition to the retirees’ bonus, Babauta said they also unanimously passed House Resolution 22-12 which “encourages” the governor to issue a local stimulus in the amount of $500 for each resident and $500 for dependents.
Rep. Richard Lizama said he is a retiree himself, adding that he wants to make sure that when retirees get their bonus, they will not end up having to pay it back.
“I want you to know that we are just doing the right thing,” he said.
Rep. Sheila Babauta speaks as Rep. Leila Staffler listens during the House leadership’s press conference on Tuesday in the House chamber.
Rep. Richard Lizama speaks during the House leadership’s press conference on Tuesday in the House chamber.
