FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 30, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Please see Speaker Therese Terlaje’s extension of remarks from today’s session below. Also attached are letters sent to the Governor regarding the American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“Again, I want to thank all of my colleagues for all of their collaboration during this session. We knew we would have an abbreviated session this week due to very special events that were equally important, and I think we were able to accomplish a lot in the time that we were able to meet in session.

I believe that discussion and listening to each other is our best avenue forward, and that in hearing each other in this session hall, we also hear the people of Guam. And we will stay connected to the people of Guam through listening to each other in session debates, through our interactions at special events and even through all of our other interactions. And I hope that we will remember that most of our battles are long on Guam and that we came into this Legislature to make change, including changing hearts and minds so that people in our community can see the common ground in front of us and be united going forward.

I want to inform the public that this afternoon the Minority Leader and I sent a follow-up letter to the Governor’s request for the Legislature’s priority list for the American Rescue Plan funds. Earlier this week, we sent an initial letter requesting more information regarding what portion of the federal funds had been promised or committed to particular projects or agencies, so that we have a clearer picture of how much is available for prioritization. We have not received a response, but the Legislature is looking forward to meeting with the Governor regarding these funds, and we will be sending a listing of priorities by early next week. We want to reiterate that all of us in this Legislature are willing to meet to discuss, at the Governor’s convenience, the priorities for the people of Guam.

As we move forward, we must get as much information as possible and be able to adjust what we learn locally and federally. For example, just this morning, the U.S. Senate passed legislation regarding water utilities and infrastructure, a very important component, I think for Guam to move forward. All of these different sources of federal funds and the potential needs and current needs of the people of Guam must be examined and reconciled.

As we approach deliberations on our FY 22 budget. We want to ensure that our local funds and federal funds will be used in a fair and equitable way so that they reach all of the people of Guam, especially those in the most need. We must truly deliberate with all of the information in front of us through a good faith effort to devise a plan that will provide immediate relief and also long-term solutions that we’ve waited for so long for everyone in our community. And I thank my colleagues sincerely for their efforts in this regard.

I also want to take just a moment to thank all of the staff here at the Guam Legislature, especially the protocol office and the clerk’s office and the legal office for all of their extra efforts this week and last week, and assisting in hosting the two very special events. We thank you for your time and effort and for assisting us to be successful in our efforts. Si Yu’os Ma’ase.”

Speaker Therese Terlaje’s Extension of Remarks April Session 2021

Resolution No. 63-36 (COR) – Relative to respectfully requesting the United States Congress to support Community Project Funding for the construction of an expanded Guam Fishermen’s Co-op Facility and the correlating expansion of Guam’s community fishing industry. Sponsored by: Therese M. Terlaje / Christopher M. Dueñas / Telena Cruz Nelson / Tina Rose Muña Barnes / Amanda L. Shelton / Sabina Flores Perez / Frank Blas Jr. / Clynton E. Ridgell / Joe S. San Agustin / Jose “Pedo” Terlaje / V. Anthony Ada / Joanne Brown / James C. Moylan / Telo T. Taitague / Mary Camacho Torres

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 30, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam) – With a unanimous vote, Speaker Therese Terlaje, the Legislature Chair of the Committee on Health, Land, Justice and Culture passed a measure authorizing the lease of property to the Guam Football Association (GFA) as a part of plans to build a world-class soccer facility near Ordot-Chalan Pago Elementary School.

The subject property of Bill No. 51-36 (COR) is currently under jurisdiction of the Guam Waterworks Authority but is in the process of being reverted back to the Department of Education and is adjacent to property owned by GFA, which is the proposed site of two soccer fields to be funded by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Speaker Terlaje stated, “I think we can all recognize the strides that the Guam Football Association has made in growing the sport of soccer on Guam for both our youth and adults.  In some cases, our youth have gone out to excel in the sport after training for years under the GFA umbrella.”

In addition to regular daytime use of the facility by the students at the Ordot-Elementary School, at the Speaker’s urging in order to get the best value for schoolchildren, GFA has agreed to allow usage of the facility for interscholastic sports which will be negotiated and coordinated by the Guam Department of Education.

“When a public-private partnership is successful, the commitment benefits our entire community.  The growth of the sport of soccer on Guam is due in no small part to the efforts and big investments in time and money from both the GFA and FIFA in partnership with the government of Guam,” said Speaker Terlaje.

Bill 51-36 – AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE AUTHORIZATION FOR THE USE OF REAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION OF THE GUAM WATERWORKS AUTHORITY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF SOCCER FIELDS AND RELATED FACILITIES was co-sponsored by Senators Telena Nelson, Sabina Perez, Chris Duenas, Frank Blas and Vice-Speaker Tina Muna Barnes.

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For more information, please contact Speaker Therese M. Terlaje’s office at (671) 472-3586 or via e-mail at senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 30, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Below is a statement from Speaker Therese Terlaje on the unanimous passage of Resolution 63-36 (COR) Relative to respectfully requesting the United States Congress to support Community Project Funding for the construction of an expanded Guam Fishermen’s Co-op Facility and the correlating expansion of Guam’s community fishing industry.

“I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for uniting as a sole voice to pass this resolution. This type of collaboration raises the standard of expectation of the people we serve when we work together for a common goal.  I look forward to transmitting this to Congressman San Nicolas and will continue to offer support for this effort in any way I can.

I am hopeful that our collaborative efforts will bring the needed resources for this critical expansion that has been and will continue to be an important central place for commerce and culture on our island.”

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Please see attached Resolution 63-36 (COR) and a previous release on the resolution for your ready reference.

For more information, please contact Speaker Therese M. Terlaje’s office at (671) 472-3586 or via e-mail at senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com. 

To Include Guam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 23, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam) On April 22, 2021, an amicus brief was filed on behalf of Speaker Therese Terlaje in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in support of the Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc., who filed an appeal on July 28, 2020 after their petition for rulemaking was denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on May 12, 2020.

The appeal calls for the Court to require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recognize, through rulemaking, a presumption of exposure to Agent Orange for Guam and Johnston Island veterans in the Agent Orange Act of 1991. This Act established a factual presumption of herbicide exposure for veterans’ claims arising from the use of toxic herbicides in Vietnam. Without the VA’s recognition of the presumption on Guam, veterans who suffer conditions such as certain types of cancer, Type II Diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, among others, routinely lose their benefits claims as a result of the government’s poor record-keeping and the inability for individuals to show conclusive and individual proof of exposure to toxic herbicides.

The United States deployed roughly 20 million gallons of herbicides between 1962-1971 to include 11 million gallons of Agent Orange. The appeal outlines testimonies from veterans stationed on Guam who recall the use of the herbicide, stating they experienced the smells and skin blistering that are often telltale signs of exposure. Veterans also recalled “preparing, mixing, and spraying Agent Orange along pipelines, flightlines, building perimeter, and security fences on the island.

Speaker Therese Terlaje stated, “Our veterans and community members have spent a lifetime seeking justice for their exposure to Agent Orange while on Guam and I am humbled to join them in this fight and all those who have petitioned the VA, Congress and the courts. I hope these efforts will help them receive the benefits they deserve.”

Speaker Therese Terlaje has spent many years advocating for veterans on Guam, passing three resolutions as one of her first major actions in her first term as senator. These resolutions address the environmental and health impacts of Agent Orange, radiation exposure and nuclear testing clean-up on veterans and the people of Guam. In her second term, Senator Terlaje also introduced Resolution 71-35 supporting H.R. 1713 the “Lonnie Kilpatrick Central Pacific Herbicide Relief Act.”

The Department of Defense continues to deny the existence of Agent Orange on Guam, despite signed affidavits from veterans and overwhelming testimony from veterans and residents. Speaker Terlaje has continually urged for more environmental testing to include locations cited via first-hand accounts from veterans in order to overcome DOD denial, to promote clean up, and to ensure health benefits for those exposed.

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Attached is the Opening Brief, Notable Excerpts from the Opening Brief, and Amicus Brief for Case No. 20-2086, which can also be found at www.senatorterlaje.com.

For more information, please contact Speaker Therese M. Terlaje’s office at (671) 472-3586 or via e-mail at senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 7, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam) – On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, the Guam Legislature filed a response brief in the Declaratory Judgment case brought by the Governor originally alleging that challenges to her quarantine orders were unconstitutional and that Guam’s Public Health Emergency laws are inorganic.

The Legislature’s Brief asserts that the Governor’s powers are subject to the laws of Guam, even in her supervision of healthcare and quarantine. The specific quarantine and isolation procedures being challenged (10 GCA Sections 19604 and 19605) give due process and an opportunity for a court hearing to those in quarantine and were set in statute years ago as necessary protections against arbitrary confinement and abuse of power.

The Legislature also notes that the 26^th Guam Legislature deemed the provisions reasonable, when the law was enacted in 2003, with the primary goal of controlling serious health threats and balancing that with individual civil liberties and ensuring access to due process.  Then Senator Lou Leon Guerrero rose to support the passage of the bill and stated, “ [the Bill] I think protects the individuals who are isolated or quarantine[d] and [] feel that their rights have been violated, because sometimes in emergency situations panic can occur and you maybe . . . come into situations where you may just be isolating and quarantining people maybe unnecessarily[.] [S]o it does have provisions in here that protect the rights of those individuals.”

In conclusion, the Legislature asserts that the Islan Guåhan Emergency Health Powers Act is critical policy, consistent with the Organic Act of Guam and requests that the Court reinforce the Legislature’s power granted by the Organic Act to enact law necessary to protect the health, safety, and general well-being of the people of Guam. 

The 36^th Guam Legislature is represented by Legislative Counsel, Ana Won-Pat Borja, Esq.

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Attached is a copy of the Brief of Interested Party which can also be found at www.senatorterlaje.com.

For more information, please contact Speaker Therese M. Terlaje’s office at (671) 472-3586 or via e-mail at senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com.