Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has proposed legislation which seeks to increase the salaries of the governor and lieutenant governor, to become effective Jan. 3, 2021 — which is the start of a new administration in government.

The proposed bill, transmitted to Fono leaders recently, would also set by law an allowance for the governor’s spouse — also to take effect Jan. 3, 2021.

In a cover letter that accompanied the proposed bill to Fono leaders, Lolo said salaries of the governor and lt. governor haven’t changed in many years, while purchasing power has decreased as inflation has increased.

 “In order to account for inflation, the salaries of both must be increased,” wrote Lolo, whose second four-year term in office officially ends before 12noon on Jan. 3, 2021.

Regarding the governor’s spouse, Lolo said the “first spouse performs important duties of diplomacy and public policy on behalf of the territory, and it is therefore reasonable that he or she should receive an allowance for fulfilling these responsibilities.”

In conclusion, the governor said, “it is reasonable that the leaders of the executive branch should be fairly compensated at the start of the next administration.”

Current law has the governor’s salary at $85,000 and the lieutenant governor at $75,000. Lolo’s proposal would hike the governor’s pay to $100,000 and the lt. governor to $85,000.

Local law doesn’t provide an allowance for the governor’s spouse, but it does provide an allowance for surviving spouses of former governors. Current law sets the surviving spouse allowance at 30% of the former governor’s salary, during his last year in office.

Samoa News notes that under current law, a former governor shall be entitled, for the remainder of his life, to receive from ASG a monetary allowance at the rate per annum of 60% of his highest salary during his last year in office. 

Such allowance is not payable for any period during which such former governor holds an appointive or elective office or position in or under the ASG or the federal government to which is attached a rate of pay other than a nominal rate.

Lolo’s proposal seeks to set by law, an allowance for the governor’s spouse, which is 25% of the governor’s salary. It also states that spouse allowance starts on the day the governor takes office, and terminated on the last day of the month, before the spouse either dies, remarries, of if the governor fails to serve for a full term of at least 4 years or if the governor’s service is terminated.

However, the allowance is not paid for any period during which the spouse holds an appointive or elective office or position in or under the ASG or federal government to which is attached a rate of pay other than a nominal rate.

Another amendment in the proposal would delete the allowance for surviving spouses.

The proposal is now put in bill-format before it is introduced in both the Senate and House.