A lawmaker in the Northern Marianas says overtime pay given to cabinet members during the recovery period following Super Typhoon Yutu was illegal.
The governor of the Northern Marianas, Ralph Torres. Photo: CNMI Republican Facebook
Citing the local administrative code, Representative Edwin Propst said publicly elected officials are among those not entitled to overtime pay.
In November last year the Governor, Ralph Torres, authorised overtime payments for those government employees engaged in work directly related to the Commonwealth's recovery efforts after Yutu.
Mr Propst said that was illegal.
The Torres administration has been criticised for dipping into government coffers to allegedly pay overtime house for cabinet members' during the Yutu recovery, which has forced the government to borrow more.