There’s been no announcement on the Senate floor regarding House Bill-24, the bill increasing the salaries of lawmakers effective in the new legislature which convenes January of 2017.
When asked about the status of the bill, the Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Senator Laolagi Vaeao told KHJ News that they will discuss the bill sometime next week.
He says the Committee members will be given the chance to express their opinions on the bill first and depending on the outcome, the proposed legislation would either be reported to the floor for a vote, held for more review or be discussed in a hearing with witnesses.
At least five senators have privately expressed to KHJ News that their main concerns with the bill is that it doesn’t have a funding source and the government is going through tough financial times, and now is not the right time for such a bill.
One senator said the House should have waited for the FY2017 budget hearings to propose salary increases.
In other Senate news, Senator Laolagi Vaeao yesterday informed senators that from his research, it’s true that ASG has not issued scholarship checks for students attending colleges and universities off island as well as the American Samoa Community College.
This also includes students issued loans through the Development Bank of American Samoa.
The issue was raised last week by Senator Soliai Tuipine.
