Governor dismayed with House’s inaction on retirees’ bonus

Editor’s Note: The author issued the following statement regarding the current state of the bonuses for deserving retirees.
 
Since the beginning of my administration, we have recognized the decades-long dedication of our public servants, and we have expressed the need to take care of those who have served our islands and people before us.”

Last December, to show our gratitude, and at the mercy of the COVID-19 pandemic, my administration proffered a $500 bonus for all retirees to help with any medical and other living expenses. To accomplish this, David DLG Atalig, your Secretary of Finance, and I dialogued with NMI Settlement Fund trustee Joyce Tang and the Office of the Attorney General on the best course of action. Cohesively, we agreed that a joint resolution by the Legislature to create a new business unit within the current budget, and granting me with the reprogramming authority to allocate $1.3 million for this purpose, would be appropriate.

In response to this, the Senate adopted Senate Joint Resolution 22-5 and approved my request to authorize reprogramming of the $1.3 million. Sadly, the House rejected this initiative in favor of House Bill 22-91, which earmarked funds that were line-item vetoed in the fiscal year 2022 Budget Act. This action would have taken resources away from vital programs that were already established.

Throughout this process, the Senate has persistently acted in the best interest of our community, and it has consistently sought to find solutions to provide these monies to our retirees. 

This past February, the Senate took the step to increase the bonus from $500 to $1,000 for each retiree. Further, to ensure that the retiree bonuses would be funded and, most importantly, so that similar issues would be avoided in the future, the Senate saw it fit to provide me with 100% reprogramming authority. Unfortunately, the House again chose to politicize this issue and push its agenda of removing me from office forward. The House simply chose to overlook viable options that could have secured these funds for our retirees—which they have waited on since December.

Now, in March 2022, the Senate adopted Joint Resolution 22-9, which approved my request to create a new program and business unit for retiree bonuses to reprogram $2.6 million within the Executive Branch. This would have been one step closer for our retirees to receive the $1,000 bonus.

The House majority opted to concern themselves with the funding sources of these bonuses, and they ignored my reprogramming authority in order to make this ill decision.

As your administration has previously stated: the retiree bonuses will neither increase nor reduce the current budget level. The Secretary of Finance and I identified the local funding sources to fund this bonus for our retirees, and it is derived from no other than the Office of the Governor and the Department of Finance—no other program.

The House of Representatives is in support of providing a bonus to our retirees as a final outcome. However, it is unfortunate that there have been numerous instances where this topic has been politicized instead of acted upon. It is extremely disappointing, to say the least.

Simply put: The House majority has chosen to publicize its dislike of our administration and my decision-making authority as governor to stall this process. This only further impacts our deserving retirees who have waited a long time for this financial reprieve.

Our retirees do not deserve to be treated as collateral damage despite certain legislators’ dislike for me as governor. I respect their right to oppose my decisions, to not support my re-election, and even my current role as the chief executive. However, I humbly ask that their disfavor of me does not negatively impact our community and retirees.

Fast-forward to today, the Senate has removed the 100% reprogramming authority. It is a decision that I support so long as it is a step close to our retirees’ receiving their bonuses. Pettily, the House still finds itself fixated on the specific, non-issue of funding source.

Once again, I am urging the House of Representatives to put its political dislike of me, and its agenda thereof, aside, so that we can work together to best serve those who have put us into office, and to get these bonuses out to our retirees soon.

Ralph DLG Torres (Special to the Saipan Tribune)
Ralph DLG Torres is governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.