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Babauta certifies over-the-cap salaries of three hospital staff
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Posted on Dec 23 2005
Gov. Juan N. Babauta has certified the over-the-cap salaries of two doctors and a pharmacy manager at the Commonwealth Health Center.
The governor’s certification will allow doctors Jean François Bader and Heather Grace Morrison, and Anthony E. Raho to receive a salary of over $50,000 a year.
Bader and Morrison are both physician assistants, while Raho manages the in-patient pharmacy at the hospital.
The certifications were made in late November 2005. They are still awaiting legislative action, along with the eight board nominations and vacancy certifications submitted by Babauta to the Senate.
Public Law 8-6, or the Salary Amendment Act of 1992, sets the salary ceiling for government employees at $50,000. However, the law gave the governor the authority to waive the ceiling, and submit a certification to the Legislature.
The governor is also mandated to advise the Civil Service Commission of any move to grant over-the-cap salaries.
Public Health, one of the three under-funded government agencies, is operating on a $36.897 million funding level based on Public Law 13-24, the last budget law enacted.
P.L. 13-24 gave Public Health $26.828 million for personnel expenses.
The Legislature has proposed a budget of $206 million for FY 2006, a $7-million decrease from the budget that has been in effect since 2003.
Three months into the current fiscal year, the Senate and the House of Representatives have yet to agree on the breakdown of the identified resources. (Agnes E. Donato)
