With Sen. Juan M. Ayuyu, Ind.-Rota absent, the Senate, by an 8 to 0 vote, adopted Senate Joint Resolutions 17-5, 17-6 and 17-2 during its last session for 2010.Among the additional FTEs requested by acting Attorney General Michael L. Ernest last Dec. 22, 2010 were for the 14 former employees of the Immigration Division who were displaced following the federal takeover of the local immigration system.
The AGO plans to obtain these FTEs and then transfer them to other government offices.
Three other positions are for medical records technician, security guard and custodial worker for the Rota Health Center. These positions, the senators said, “are necessary to ensure the delivery of essential public health services.”
The position for a new accountant was requested by the Criminal Justice Planning Agency which said it is “especially critical to assure that a balance in federal or local funds are accounted for and that financial efficiency and accountability are sustained.”
Although the Senate wants vacant FTE positions eliminated in order to reduce the size of the government, the resolution stated that the expenditure authority may request the Legislature to establish a new FTE if a new position or vacant position is necessary to be filled.
Aside from the 14 displaced local Immigration staffers, the AGO also wants to hire one assistant attorney general for the criminal division and two attorneys general for the civil division. The AGO also wants to hire nine FTEs “to implement a takeover of the responsibilities of representing agencies who currently obtain outside counsel at a great cost to the CNMI.”
Six of the positions are for attorneys and the three are for support staff.
