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Speaker to return leased vehicle
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Posted on Aug 31 2011
Leading by example, House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan) said yesterday he will return his leased Ford Ranger pickup truck by Sept. 30 to cope with the decreased lawmakers’ proposed allocation for fiscal year 2012 which begins on Oct. 1.
Many members of the 17th Legislature have been leasing sedans, pickup trucks, or sport utility vehicles for $400 to $700 a month. They use their annual allocation to pay for the vehicle leases.
The speaker said he’s not asking other lawmakers to also give up their monthly vehicle leases.
“It will be up to the members,” he told Saipan Tribune.
Rep. Teresita Santos (Ind-Rota) said yesterday that she continues to voluntarily cut her salary by 16 hours or 10 percent biweekly, and continues to allow Finance to give the amount voluntarily reduced from her salary to scholarship.
The House speaker said although the loss of his leased vehicle—which his office pays for $500 a month—could mean limited community services, he would try his best to continue the services he has been providing to the villages.
Each lawmaker’s allocation under the fiscal year 2012 budget bill is $51,575, lower than the $78,000 that members of the 17th Legislature used to receive.
This means that, from some $6,500 a month, lawmakers will only be getting $4,297 in monthly allocation if the budget bill for 2012 becomes law.
A lawmaker’s allocation is on top of his constitutionally protected $39,300 annual salary, and leadership account if he’s a member of the House or Senate leadership.
In separate interviews with 17 of 29 members of the Legislature, lawmakers gave different reasons for leasing and not leasing vehicles.
A few members said they could survive using their own vehicles both for official and personal needs.
Others leasing vehicles said their office personnel and community workers use the leased vehicles to do community services like cleanups and delivering chairs and tents.
