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Legislature OKs pay increase for Rota, Tinian dep’t heads
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Posted on Feb 18 2009
The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday raising the ceiling salary for Rota and Tinian resident department heads to $45,000 from $36,000.
Of the 15 members present, Rep. Tina Sablan was the only member to vote no. Reps. Heinz Hofschneider, Ed Salas, Joe Reyes, Dave Apatang and Joseph Deleon Guerrero were absent.
“How could we in good conscience act on this bill when we have yet to act on the budget, austerity measures are pending in committee, furloughs are being threatened, and civil service employees haven’t had a merit increase in over a decade is just beyond me,” Sablan said after the passage.
Sablan noted that Gov. Benigno Fitial listed the resident director salary of $45,000 as one of his reasons for vetoing the Legislature’s first attempt at a budget.
“Which is why we removed that provision in the first place in the subsequent budget bill that passed,” she added.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Joseph M. Mendiola and passed in the Senate last month, states that salaries for Rota and Tinian department heads were disproportionately adjusted when previous laws increased the salaries of judges, attorney general and other government appointees.
