The Director of the Department of Search and Rescue Utumoe Alefosio faced a grueling two hour hearing before the House Budget and Appropriations Committee Wednesday morning over the 60 emergency hires by his department. Some were hired around November while others were hired in January. All were released last month without receiving any paycheck for the whole time their worked.
Also appearing at the hearing were the Director of Human Resources Tiaoalii Dr. Asenati Saau-Umi, Director of Budget Tauaisafune Niualama Taifane and Director of the ARPA Office Puialii James Faumuina.
The SAR Director said there were discussions around October/November of last year of the need for additional manpower for the department and directors involved in the discussions were Budget, Human Resources and ARPA.
With the festive season approaching it was necessary to man the substations in Fagaitua and Leone with SAR personnel. And he said the Senate and House had voiced such requests. He was advised by DHR that they could hire new personnel on an emergency basis which did not have to go through the regular hiring process.
He said initially only a few people responded but later a large number of applicants turned out. He said many of them did not have any jobs and they wanted to work. Alefosio testified that even when the hires were told they can no longer work , they said that they want to learn, and did not mind not being paid.
However according to DHR Director Tiaoalii they asked DSAR to provide paperwork for the emergency hires. It became clear when the paperwork was submitted there was no funding, so the hiring was not approved. The DHR director also said that she learned the department had given waivers so that the emergency hires could work as volunteers, but she said there’s no provision in the statute for volunteer worker. In addition since the 60 were working, under Department of Labor laws they have to be paid. 
Budget Director Tauaisafune said her office was not aware of the emergency hires and only learned about it from the media.
In his testimony The SAR Director said they had submitted a proposal for $4 million from ARPA which was approved to fund infrastructure projects and also provide training through an academy. He said this was during the term of former Director of ARPA, Robert Uti Gebauer.
He also said that $200,000 from Capita Improvement Projects would be made available for the planned Search and Rescue Academy.
The current ARPA Director Puialii James Faumuina testified that there was no award letter to the Department of Search and Rescue for the emergency hires. According to him the SAR Director asked that if there’s funding left over from their infrastructure projects, namely the department headquarters at Tafuna and headquarters for Marine Patrol, that this be used for the emergency hires.
Vice Speaker Fetui Fetu laid the blame on the SAR director and said this was “a foolish mistake.”
Alefosio was not able to answer how many people were actually hired on an emergency basis, how long they worked before they were released, and how much it would cost to pay them for the time they worked. When asked if the Governor was aware and approved the hiring, Alefosio said the governor supported the hiring of additional manpower but had left it up to their department to implement it.
The clear message from several representatives was for the SAR Director to find a funding source to pay the emergency hires.
