Senators' accrued annual leave hours

by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - Lawmakers from the 31^st Guam Legislature are set to cash out more than $110,000 on unused annual leave.

According to a report on Senator's accrued annual leave from executive director Vince Arriola, 13 out of 15 senators from the last Guam Legislature are set to cash out on leave.  

Speaker Judi Won Pat is set to receive $10,400 whereas eight senators will be receiving $9,360 including Vice Speaker BJ Cruz, Tina Rose Muna Barnes, Frank Blas Jr., Rory Respicio, Judi Guthertz, Adolpho Palacios, Tom Ada and Aline Yamashita. Other senators are owed slightly lower amount including Senator Tony Ada set to receive $5,762, Senator Dennis Rodriguez with $5,148, Senator Sam Mabini with $8,628 and Senator Mana Silva Taijeron with $6,084. 

Speaker Judi Won Pat meanwhile says no one will be receiving checks just yet as nothing as the funding hasn't been budgeted for.

"But that amount was not appropriated for this fiscal year so that means there's no money to cash out," Won Pat says. "But we're not just talking about senators, but the employees as well the staff because every two years when there's a turnover, especially a major turnover then these monies would kind of help carry these employees for a couple of months to find employment elsewhere or hopefully with the legislature."

Meanwhile, it was just last week when Governor Eddie Calvo signed bill 543 into law which not only repealed a 10 percent cut for elected officials and unclassified employees making $50,000 or more but eliminated the annual leave benefits for senators along with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor moving forward.

In regards to Senators cashing out on annual leave, Governor Calvo says he'll leave it to lawmakers to do what they feel in their house.

"I just believe that It's important that we as a government both the legislature as a supreme policy making body together with the executive branch always understand that we are still in a very difficult financial position," Calvo says. " And we have to work collaboratively in dealing with the financial condition of this government and work towards resolution for many of these issues so that we can pay tax refunds on time, we can pay merit bonuses on time and pay our bills in time and ultimately reinstate the hay study."