A former House speaker, the governor said lawmakers have “the freedom, liberty and the right to hire whoever they want to hire to help them with their legislation.”
But he said he did not have an independent contractor to help him draft bills. “I drafted most of them and gave them to the House legal counsel for final review.”
Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, in an interview, said he hired former Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider — Fitial’s opponent in the 2005 and 2009 gubernatorial elections — as an independent contractor to help draft some bills, especially those concerning the Retirement Fund.
Cabrera said the Legislative Bureau doesn’t have enough staffers for the 20 House members.
He also noted that Hofschneider, who served as lawmaker for 18 years, is more than qualified to be an independent contractor on legislative matters.
Cabrera said the Department of Finance has the records of these and other government contracts which are available to the public through an Open Government Act request.
Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, said he hired Maryland lawyer Dave Cahn — not Chan as reported by the Saipan Tribune — to help him draft officials communications and bills. Cahn served as a special adviser to Tenorio when he was governor from 1994 to 1998.
Former House Minority Leader Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan, said he was hired by the Senate leadership as a consultant two months ago. He said he helped senators draft bills, but his contract was short-term only.
Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb, R-Saipan, said he wonders why some people would try to make independent contracts an issue. He believes there’s nothing wrong about hiring people to help them to draft bills as these contracts are paid through their discretionary funds allotted by the budget law.
Tebuteb said he does not have an independent contractor to draft his bills, but his office staff and a field employee help him carry out community services in his precinct. He said those who help him draft bills are the House legal counsels and legislative assistant BJ Attao.
Rep. Josep M. Palacios, R-Saipan, said he does not have an independent contractor but he believes it is less expensive than hiring a full-time employee. With an independent contractor, he would not have to worry about insurance and other employment benefits.
He said his office manager Kimberly Reyes also conducts research while Attao and House legal counsels John Cool and Joe Taijeron help him on his bills.