THE Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to adopt a Senate joint resolution that requests Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Secretary of Finance David DLG Atalig to provide bonuses through the American Rescue Plan Act to government and private sector employees who have yet to receive a bonus.
Authored by Senator Edith Deleon Guerrero, Senate Joint Resolution 22-11 states that $1,000 premium pay was provided to 1,955 government employees who worked at least 40 hours a week to directly mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to those who have provided public services since the pandemic began.
As for 458 front liners who worked 40 hours a week providing prevention, response, preparedness, and recovery services, they received $5,000 in premium pay, the resolution stated.
It added that the Finance secretary “has shared publicly that the CNMI has expended about $3.6 million for premium pay in this first batch, and that the premium pay is not just for the executive branch or just the front liners.”
According to the resolution, the employees of Commonwealth Ports Authority received a $5,000 bonus, the judiciary branch employees received a $2,500 bonus, and the Legislative Bureau employees received a $2,500 bonus.
Deleon Guerrero said other public and private employees also pay CNMI taxes and are also equally affected by the pandemic — “they deserve to receive a bonus just like other government employees.”
Sen. Teresita Santos, for her part, said she has “witnessed during and throughout the pandemic private sector employees who continued to show up for work despite putting their health and safety on the line in order to provide necessary or essential services to our community.”
