House bill dulls attraction of CNMI to lawyers

The Attorney General’s Office has warned against legislation scrapping government housing benefits, saying the move will make it more difficult for the CNMI to hire and retain government lawyers from the U.S. mainland.

Noting other jurisdictions offer attractive compensation package, it said even indigenous lawyers would be discouraged to join government service here without such perks.

Assistant Attorney General Elliot A. Sattler presented the AGO’s position in a testimony presented to the House Judiciary and Government Operations Committee which is reviewing HB 12-34 amending the government housing law.

The measure, if it becomes law, will eliminate housing allowance and benefits given to some employees in an effort to save the government millions of dollars for use by other essential services.

But such proposal will not ensure savings to the local coffers and instead will serve as disincentive in the hiring of people from off-island who will staff various departments and agencies, according to Mr. Sattler.

At present, AGO provides housing or allowance to 23 of its 26 attorneys, nine of whom are occupying government quarters. Fourteen receive allowance ranging from $600 to $800 per month.

Three of the lawyers do not receive housing benefits, but Mr. Sattler pointed out they have negotiated higher salary compared to those who have these perks.

Once these benefits are taken away, the AGO will find it even more difficult than it is now to hire and retain competent legal counsels, he said.

In fact, such benefits are being used by the office in luring lawyers from the mainland to work here to be at par with the more attractive compensation package offered by other state governments, he said.

Low pay

Mr. Sattler also disclosed a government lawyer recruited from the mainland stays an average of less than three years on the islands even with the housing benefits because most of them find the salary here low.

The government spends more money in recruiting lawyers, averaging at about $12,000 for each hire in expatriation and repatriation costs, he said.

“Rather than diminishing employee benefits paid to the staff of the AGO… a more enlightened concept, resulting in substantial savings to the CNMI government, would be to provide a salary and compensation package competitive with that which a qualified competent attorney could earn in the United States,” said Mr. Sattler.

Local attorneys who have studied abroad may also find the salary unappealing because they would earn more if they practice elsewhere in the United States where compensation packages are more rewarding, he said.

“Until a competitive salary and benefits package is offered in order to induce our local attorneys to return to the Commonwealth, the local ‘brain drain’ will continue and it will be necessary to continue to offer government housing to expatriate attorneys and other professionals in an effort to remain competitive… with [those in the] mainland,” said Mr. Sattler.

“Only through this process will the CNMI government be able to use an available asset in the form of housing rather than cash, preserve declining… revenue while also attempting to recruit and retain [employees] who ‘are not just in it for the money’ but are willing to sacrifice,” he added.

HB 12-34 is the second attempt in two years by the Legislature to diminish benefits to select government employees amid the continuous financial difficulties confronting the CNMI. A similar proposal failed to get through in 1998.