Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Records indicate that political appointees from the administration of Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga and Lt. Governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale received a combined total of $1.3 million in leave payouts. This allocation was funded through a $1.5 million appropriation in the special projects budget approved by the Fono. The public response to the payouts has been overwhelmingly negative.

The $1.5 million for these payouts was included in the special projects budget for FY2025, a category generally used for non-recurring expenses such as infrastructure and emergency initiatives. The submission for this appropriation did not include a detailed breakdown of recipient names, estimated payout amounts, or jus0fica0on documents typically provided for payroll-related expenditures.

Standard government financial procedures require personnel-related appropriations to be accompanied by expenditure es0mates and justifications before approval. In this case, no records indicate that such documentation was provided to the Fono prior to the appropriation’s approval.

Leave accrual is a standard part of employee benefits, and in government budgeting, the cost of benefits — including annual and sick leave — is typically included in the benefit percentage used to calculate total employee compensation. Each fiscal year, government budgets factor in these costs to ensure that departments have the necessary funds to cover employee leave balances.

The inclusion of a separate $1.5 million appropriation for leave payouts in the FY2025 special projects budget raises questions about why an additional funding source was required if leave accrual had already been accounted for in prior budgets. If leave benefits were properly budgeted within payroll appropriations, it remains unclear why an extra allocation was needed. This raises concerns about whether leave accrual liabilities have been systematically underfunded or whether payouts were unusually high compared to previous years.

Political appointees serve at the discretion of the Governor and are not covered under the same civil service protections as career government employees. In American Samoa, leave accrual for political appointees follows the general government policy for employees, allowing them to accumulate both annual and sick leave.

— Annual leave accrual rates depend on length of service, ranging from 13 days per year for those with less than three years of service to 26 days per year for those with 15 or more years of service.

— Sick leave is accrued at a rate of four hours per biweekly pay period, with no limit on accumulation.

Unlike career civil servants, political appointees are typically expected to vacate their positions at the end of an administration’s term.

Government records show that leave payouts to political appointees are processed similarly to those of regular government employees upon their departure. However, the scale of the payouts in this case — totaling $1.3 million — raises questions about whether political appointees are accruing leave at an excessive rate or whether existing policies create conditions that lead to large end-of- term payouts.

Governor Lemanu received $36,465 in leave payouts, while Lt. Governor Talauega received $32,882. The American Samoa Constitution does not include provisions regarding leave accrual for the Governor and Lt. Governor. The American Samoa Code Annotated outlines salary and benefits for these positions, including housing allowances, but does not reference leave policies.

Unlike career government employees and political appointees, the Governor and Lt. Governor are elected officials serving fixed terms and are not classified as standard employees under civil service laws. Their compensation and benefits are generally determined by legislative appropriations and statutory provisions rather than administrative employment policies. The absence of explicit statutory language governing leave accrual or payouts for these positions raises questions about the legal basis for these payments.

Financial records show that some government officials who continue to hold their positions also received leave payouts. Administrative Law Judge Marie Alailima received $6,294, and Election Commissioner Uiagalelei Lealofi Uiagalelei received $17,330, despite remaining in their respective roles.

Under general government payroll policies, leave payouts are typically issued upon separation from service. No available records indicate whether there are exceptions permitting payouts to individuals who continue in government employment.

The release of payout information has also raised legal questions regarding confidentiality and the right to privacy. Under U.S. labor laws, including the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. §552a), certain employment and payroll records are classified as confidential. The Act applies to federal agencies but serves as a reference for state and territorial employee privacy protections.

American Samoa’s personnel policies classify employee records as confidential unless officially disclosed by authorized personnel. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) include provisions protecting employee leave records. While payroll expenditures of public funds are often classified as public records, it is unclear whether the specific details of individual payouts are subject to disclosure under local law.

BACKGROUND

Samoa News should point out that Uiagalelei was queried about this payout in terms of his employment contract with the Lemanu Administration, which was said to continue through to January 2026.

During his Senate confirmation hearing he was asked if he had resigned and he replied no. However, he said that he had received a leave payout from his Lemanu contract for unpaid leave and that  he was asked by the P&P Administration to continue to serve as the Chief Election Officer.

He was later confirmed by the Senate after senators agreed that the issue would be corrected through the Governor’s Office’s Legal Counsel — his new contract with the P&P Administration.

Senators were specific during Uiagalelei’s confirmation hearing that the nature of the CEO’s employment contract is to keep the Election Office as an “independent” entity, not subservient to the Governor or lt. Governor.