The rule allowing members of the Northern Marianas House of Representative to draw a $US2500 monthly allowance from their office allotments is unconstitutional, the Office of the Public Auditor says.
The office said under the CNMI constitution, the legislature's allowances must be created by law.
The house adopted its rules, including the monthly allowance, during a session last month.
The office had addressed a similar issue in 2003 on whether legislators' allowances could be provided through rule changes instead of by legislation, the office said.
