THE administration will address the legal problems involving Health Secretary James U. Hofschneider’s annual salary, according to acting Gov. Diego T. Benavante.
He said the executive branch will meet with the leaders of the Legislature and the attorney general to work out a solution.
Benavente said he and Gov. Juan N. Babauta assured Hofschneider that he would retain his physician’s salary of $140,000 even after his nomination was confirmed by the Senate. Hofschneider will perform the duties of a physician and a health secretary, Benavente said.
“Our legal counsels are reviewing this matter to find out how to make it work,” he added.
Hofschneider was unable to return this reporter’s call yesterday.
In a June 28 letter to Public Auditor Michael S. Sablan, Attorney General Robert T. Torres said Hofschneider “cannot continue to receive the physician’s salary.”
He said P.L. 9-25 only allows the public health secretary to receive an annual salary of up to $80,000.
In a separate interview, House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider, R-Saipan, said the executive branch should ask the Legislature to sanction the public health secretary’s salary.
“The (administration) should submit its justifications and we will decide on it,” the speaker said.
Sen. David M. Cing, D-Tinian, denied the public health secretary’s claim that he had an agreement with the Senate regarding his salary.
Cing was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigation when the nomination was confirmed last May.
“There was no such agreement. I recalled that members of the committee asked the issue about his salary. We mentioned that everybody had to adhere to P.L. 9-25,” Cing said.
