THE Senate will soon come out with a measure that would address the salary cap issue for the present and the past administrations.
Senate President Paul A. Manglona said the passage of H.B. 13-131 by the House of Representatives did not fully address the issue of past and present government officials and employees whose salaries exceeded the salary ceiling prescribed by law.
On May 7, the House of Representatives passed H.B. 13-131 introduced by House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider, R-Saipan. The measure would only sanction the past administration’s employees and officials whose salaries exceeded the ceiling.
“I believe that the Legislature was unaware that it was to give sanction (to salaries that are above the cap). So when the new administration came in, the Legislature continued doing what was done in the past. So I think, we should handle this altogether under a joint resolution, so we can address the salary cap issue for both the past and the present administrations,” said Manglona, R-Rota. The Senate president also did not welcome the House’s move of only giving sanction to the employees of the past administration.
“I don’t believe that the House should do it that way—exempting only the past administration. Exemptions should apply to all because many of those in the past who were exempted continue to work in the present, therefore we need to address even the current exemptions,” he said.
