FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 26, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Below is a statement from Speaker Therese Terlaje on behalf of the 36^th Guam Legislature:

“Our island mourns the loss of Tan Floren Meno Paulino from the village of Inalåhan.  Tan Floren was a war survivor and Master Weaver, recognized not only for her work in preserving this art, but also for her generosity in sharing her knowledge and passing on the tradition that she learned from her father since the age of 12.

Tan Floren was a proud Inalåhan woman, who retired from GovGuam after years of service at Inalåhan Elementary School, Inalåhan Middle School, Talo’fo’fo Elementary School, and Gef Pa’go.  Having dedicated her life to preserving art and culture for many years, Tan Floren spoke of the hard work put into weaving and the patience that is required for the art.  This type of wisdom can only be articulated so well by many of our manåmko’, the greatest generation who survived the atrocities of war and who truly understood the value of life, family, and culture.

Our deepest condolences go out to her children Carmen, Benny, and Florence; her grand and great-grandchildren; and her siblings Teresita Paulino and Serafin Meno.  We join in your prayers during your time of sorrow and honor the life of Tan Floren with our entire community.”

You can download the application here.

DOA will start accepting applications in-person at the Guam Museum in Hagåtña on April 01, 2022.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 21, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam)- The Legislature’s Committee on Health, Land, Justice and Culture will be holding a virtual public hearing to receive testimony on Bill No. 12-36 (COR), introduced by Senator Joe S. San Agustin, which is an Act to expand the Castle Doctrine justification in the law for acts of self-defense, and eliminate “the requirement for retreating before the use of force in the face of imminent danger.” The virtual hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, at 9:00am, utilizing the Guam Legislature’s Zoom meeting platform. 

Under Guam law, deadly force may be used in self-defense under threat of death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or criminal sexual conduct, under certain conditions. When self-defense is claimed, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that self-defense did not occur. If someone who is experiencing a threat can easily retreat, the person should retreat, and is not allowed to engage in deadly self-defense. Under the Castle Doctrine, there is a presumption of reasonable fear and this duty to retreat does not apply if this person is in their dwelling, vehicle, or place of work. Bill 12-36 (COR) would extend the presumption and remove the duty to retreat if the person is in any location that a person has the right to be in. 

In the 35th Guam Legislature, the Committee on Justice held an Informational Briefing with the Office of the Attorney General and the Public Defender Service Corporation to evaluate Self Defense Law on Guam, which found that because the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that self-defense did not occur, Guam’s current self-defense law is already more robust than most other states in the nation. 

Please contact the Office of Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586 or email senatorterlajguam@gmail.com to register to provide live testimony. Written testimony may also be submitted via email and will be made available to all in attendance of the hearing. 

Link to Informational Briefing on the Right to Self-Defense on Guam: https://www.guamlegislature.com/Committee_Reports_35th/Committee%20Report%20on%20Informational%20Briefing%20on%20the%20Right%20to%20Self%20Defense%20on%20Guam.pdf

Information on Stand Your Ground legislation: 

Click to access SYG_Report_Book.pdf

Giffords Law Center: Stand Your Ground Summary

Click to access Stand-your-Ground.pdf

Celebrate Mes CHamoru with I Liheslaturan Guåhan by using daily CHamoru vocabulary, learning more about leaders in CHamoru history, and more! Use this link to our Mes CHamoru 2022 page.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 16, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Speaker Therese Terlaje has introduced a pair of bills that would advance CHamoru Land Trust (CLTC) efforts to develop much needed infrastructure for residential and agricultural leases on CLTC properties. The Guam Undersea Access for Homes Act (GUAHA), Bill 277-36 (COR), aims to establish a uniform policy for the licensing of submerged lands for telecommunications operators landing fiber optic cables on Guam.  The second proposal, Bill 278-36 (COR), would ensure the proceeds of these submerged lands licenses go toward infrastructure to include surveys, access roads, water, sewer, power and telecommunications resources for CLTC tracts of land.

“I am confident that the Guam Undersea Access for Homes Act will modernize our policy for the licensing of submerged lands and bring fair rates to the CLTC more in line with the rest of the world.  As the CLTC continues identifying and prioritizing tracts of land for additional residential leases, it is critical that we provide resources to support infrastructure and assist local families seeking quality homes,” Speaker Terlaje stated.

The measures follow the passage of a prior bill that authorized the licensing of submerged lands in Alupang to a local telecommunications provider.   The enactment of GUAHA would ensure parity for other companies seeking to do the same.  In addition, the proposal would require the Bureau of Statistics and Plans to make recommendations for cable landing sites that are environmentally responsible and optimal for Guam’s undersea topography, as opposed to the current ad hoc approach currently in place.

CLTC Chairman John Reyes, Jr. and Acting Director Angela Camacho backed the measures stating, “The CHamoru Land Trust Commission would like to extend our full support for the Guam Undersea Access for Homes Act (GUAHA). This Act would ensure a competitive market for submerged cable activities within the telecommunications industry.”

The Speaker stated, “I look forward to productive discussions at the public hearings for these bills and want to encourage participation from telecommunications companies, ancillary businesses, as well as residential and agricultural stakeholders for the CLTC.”

The schedule for public hearings for the bills will be announced when dates are secured.

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

Please join Speaker Therese M. Terlaje and Lincoln M. Budasi this Friday, March 11, 2022 at UOG CLASS’ 43rd Annual Research Conference for a virtual panel discussion on current burial policy and re-burial monuments.

“Ancient CHamoru burial aftercare: A panel discussion on what practices and procedures should occur after the discovery of ancient CHamoru burials” will engage local leaders and community members in a productive conversation about current burial policy, and generate ideas as to how these policies should look in the future. The panel will focus on Naftan I Mañaina-ta, Tumon Bay burial discoveries (Westin, Nikko, Hyatt, etc.), and Mågua’/ Sabanan Fadang at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz under Joint Regions Marianas as examples of modern re-burial monuments executed under current burial policy.

Si Yu’os Ma’åse’ to our panelists: Ge’helo’ Hope A. Cristobal (Kumision), former State Historic Preservation Officer Lynda B. Aguon, and staff members from the State Historic Preservation Office for agreeing to join the panel. These local leaders will give insight into how decisions regarding current burial policy and the aforementioned modern re-burials were made.

You can register with UOG at https://bit.ly/classarc for the panel’s Zoom link.

The application filing period for the Guam War Claims program (Public Law 36-73 and 36-62) begins April 1, 2022.

Application documents will be made available on the Department of Administration’s website soon. The DOA website can be accessed here: https://doa.guam.gov/guam-war-claims-2/.

Submission of documents must be made in person at the Guam Museum in Hagåtña.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 4, 2021 – Hagåtña, Guam)- H.R. 3967, the “Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) of 2021,” was passed by the U.S. Congress today with a bipartisan vote of 256-174. The legislation aims to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and includes a presumption of service connection for veterans who served in Guam and are suffering illnesses related to exposure to Agent Orange.

H.R. 3967 was sponsored by Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Congressman Mark Takano (D-California), with the co-sponsorship of one hundred other representatives, to include Congressman Michael San Nicolas. Bill provisions also include:

• Provide Priority Group 6 health care for over 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans
• Provide extension of combat eligibility for health care from 5 to 10 years with a one-year open enrollment period for those veterans who missed their window.
• Streamline VA’s review process for establishing toxic exposure presumptions 
• Concede exposure to airborne hazards/burn pits based on locations & dates of service
• Require medical exams/opinions for certain veterans with toxic exposure disability claims
• Add hypertension and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance to the list of presumptions for Agent Orange exposure
• Establish a presumption of service connection for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to burn pits/airborne hazards exposure
• Create a presumption of exposure to radiation for veterans who participated in cleanup activities in Palomares, Spain, and Enewetak Atoll
• Allow for a new tort claim for veterans and families exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune
• Expand agent orange exposure to veterans who served in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia
• Improve data collection between VA and the Department of Defense
• Commission studies related to incidents of cancer among veterans, health trends of Post 9/11 veterans and feasibility of providing healthcare to dependents of veterans 
• Require VA to provide standardized training to improve toxic exposure disability claims adjudications
• Require VA to conduct outreach and provide resources to toxic exposed veterans

“I am tremendously grateful for the passage of House Resolution 3967 by the U.S. Congress and the recognition of Agent Orange exposure on Guam. I thank the many veterans across the nation and residents of Guam who have spent many years lending their voices in testimony to secure a presumption and corresponding healthcare coverage for those who suffer cancers, diabetes and other illnesses caused by exposure to Agent Orange.

I also thank my colleagues for timely and unanimous passing of Guam Legislature Resolution 199-36 (LS), in support of HR 3967, and those in Congress who championed justice for Guam and for all veterans, that address the environmental and health impacts of Agent Orange, radiation exposure and nuclear testing clean-up on veterans and the people of Guam. I hope that HR 3967 will find equal support and be passed by the U.S. Senate,” Speaker Terlaje stated.