Rep. Williams Champions The Cause Of Legislative Staffers; Calls For Increment In Their Salaries

Maryland Representative, Anthony William, is pleading with the House of Representatives for the increment in the salaries and benefits of legislative staffers. The lawmaker said the current salary structure for staffers is not enough to cover transportation cost to work and cater to other needs.

Representative Williams recounted that, considering the invaluable contributions and sacrifices staffers are making in helping the House of Representatives to function, there is a need to give them befitting salaries and benefits to keep them at work without stress.

He warned that the first branch of government will run into difficulties without strong and committed staffers that are always there to protect and defend the integrity of the House and its members, as a well as maintain the trust and confidence reposed in the body by the people of Liberia.

In a letter to House Speaker, Cllr. Fonati Koffa, on February 7, the lawmaker craved the indulgence of the House to also consider the creation of additional positions in various districts and fix salaries for all office staffs.

The Maryland County Representative said there is a need for the establishment of offices for youths, women, religious, the disabled, scholarship, and security coordinators as well as information officer within the seventy-two electoral districts across the country, with appropriate salaries attached.

He emphasized that such measure will help improve oversight and abolish the long tradition of keeping two staffers on one salary, which the letter claim is causing serious embarrassment for lawmakers.

At the same time, Representative Anthony William has written to the plenary of the House through its leadership to pressure the Executive Branch to speed up the on-going road construction to Maryland and other places in the southeast of the country.

Representative Williams disclosed in his letter to House Speaker, Fonati Koffa, on February 22, 2024, that road construction between Sacleapeaa and Tappita, Nimba County, is going on at a very slow pace with no clear indication as to when the project will be completed to ease the problem of transportation in that part of the country.

The letter disclosed further that work on the road through Toe Town, Zwedru, Kaydebo, Kawheaken in River Gee is currently at a standstill, adding that as the rain steps in next month there are fears that the situation will get worse for travelers.