Senate continues push to raise leaders salaries and allowances

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Instead of going through third and final reading of a Senate bill that would raise the office expanse allowance for lawmakers, senators instead approved new amendments, which restore the original language in the legislation increasing the salaries of the governor and the lieutenant governor.

This decision was unanimously approved by senators during last Friday’s Senate session, in which the salary of the governor increases from $85,000 to $120,000 and the lieutenant governor from $75,000 to $100,000 annually — which is the original version of the bill, before it was amended and deleted last week Thursday (per request of the acting governor).

With the new amendments, the bill is now expected to go through third and final reading today during the Senate session.

DISCUSSION

Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean led an unscheduled Senate committee of the whole discussion last Friday morning after the Fono Joint Budget Committee conference — House members and others had left the chamber.

Tuaolo informed senators that he’s kept thinking about arguments by senators made earlier in the week that the salary increases for the governor and lt. governor are not for the current leaders but for future generations.

Tuaolo said this is a very important argument as American Samoa continues moving forward. He also said that Acting Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale, during the meeting last Tuesday with Fono leaders, had stated that $1 million is allocated to the Fono — as the funding source for the proposed increase of office expense allowance for lawmakers and there’s still a balance left over from that $1 million.

Tuaolo said the $1 million allocation is now in the hands of the Fono, which can do with it what it wishes and suggested restoring the original language of the bill, which increases salaries of the governor and lt. governor. 

Sen. Magalei Logovi’i said that about $600,000 of the $1 million allocated to the Fono will fund the office allowance increase for lawmakers, leaving enough funds to cover the salary increases for governor and lt. governor if agreed to by the Senate.

Tuaolo pointed out that the Administration has already increased the ASG minimum wage and implemented salary reclassification in the government workforce. He then moved to restore language of the bill on the salaries for the leaders of the Executive Branch and other senators agreed.

The Senate’s latest action on the bill is expected to have already been relayed to the acting governor, through the Governor’s Liaison to the Senate, Laolagi Vaeao, who is present during all sessions and hearings.  Laolagi, a former lawmaker, was also present during the Fono Joint Budget Committee conference last Friday on the FY 2022 budget.

BACKGROUND

The Senate held a special discussion last week Wednesday, during which Tuaolo shared the outcome of the meeting with Talauega the day before (on Tuesday). Among the issues discussed was this Senate bill, and according to the Senate President, the acting governor had requested that the salary increase for the governor and lieutenant governor be removed.

Sen. Togiola T.A Tulafono said he disagrees with reasons given by Talauega, describing them as “political” and that should never be the case.  Togiola argued — among other things — the goal and focus of the Senate bill is for future government leaders of the Executive Branch and “not for Lemanu and Talauega”. He said, it’s for “future leaders” and repeated again, its not for “Lemanu and Talauega”. (See Samoa News edition Aug. 26th for details.)