By: Bernadette Carreon
The House of Delegates has passed a bill on its third and final reading that aims to improve hiring and retention at the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MHHS) by expanding hazard pay and removing salary limits for doctors.
According to the Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK), MHHS faces ongoing challenges in recruiting and keeping employees, which has affected its operations. The bill seeks to address these problems by offering hazardous duty pay to certain workers who face physical risks and difficult working conditions.
“In order to attract and retain employees, hazard pay must be provided to those exposed to health and safety risks,” the OEK stated in support of the bill.
The measure also eliminates the current salary cap of $75,000 for doctors working under MHHS. Lawmakers said removing this cap will allow the ministry to offer competitive salaries in line with the upcoming Executive, Professional, and Special (EPS) pay grades, which are scheduled to take effect in October 2025.
In addition, the bill seeks to improve MHHS’s ability to respond to emergencies by allowing the ministry to bypass the usual procurement process when purchasing emergency equipment, medicine, or other items costing more than $20,000.
Lawmakers said the current procurement procedures are too slow and hinder MHHS’s ability to act quickly during urgent situations.