This is the sentiment of the Commonwealth Retirement Association which will meet on Sept. 23, according to its chairman Juan M. Sablan.
The CRA board met last Thursday but since the attendance was not enough to form a quorum, none of the items on the agenda were discussed and the meeting was rescheduled for this week.
Aside from Sablan, the two others who showed up were Oscar C. Camacho and Richard Waldo.
They said lawmakers should not forget to hear the voice of the retirees before the Legislature comes up with something affecting the Retirement Fund.
The CRA members, however, have not come up with a united position on pending measures that involve the Fund.
Camacho said lawmakers should consult the retirees.
Several bills and other proposal have moved ahead without any public hearings for the retirees, he added.
The House unanimously voted last week to pass H.B. 17-77, introduced by Rep. Eliceo D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, to provide the same life insurance to retirees and active government employees.
Although the Fund believes this will be good for everybody, some retirees fear that their coverage will be reduced by the measure.
Sablan, who attended the House session last week to air his support for H.B. 17-77, admitted that the CRA members had not discussed it yet.
Rep. Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero, R-Saipan, urged his colleagues not to the pass the bill without hearing the opinion of the CRA members.
The House passed the measure anyway, and it now heads to the Senate.
Also pending in the Senate is, S.B. 17-29 which seeks to allow the payment of early retirement contributions.
Sen. Jovita M. Taimanao, Ind.-Rota, introduced the bill.
Another pending measure, S.B. 17-27, will allow early retirement among public employees without penalties.
The Retirement Fund opposes this bill, which was introduced by Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz, R-Tinian, saying it will increase and not reduce the cash-strapped CNMI government’s liabilities.
