FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 29, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Bill 277-36, the Guam Undersea Access for Homes Act (GUAHA), was signed by the Acting Governor this afternoon and became P.L. 36-108.  The measure passed on Monday with all senators present voting in favor of the bill.  Authored by Speaker Therese Terlaje, the bill is a culmination of a year and a half of research that was translated into a modern policy for the licensing of submerged lands under the jurisdiction of the CHamoru Land Trust (CLTC) for the purpose of landing telecommunications cables on Guam.  The final amended measure came before the legislature with urgency to provide resources for the CLTC to negotiate new and expiring leases.

While previous leases for submerged lands licenses were undervalued as low as $5000 per year, GUAHA brings the baseline for new or renegotiated leases up to $100,000 per year per cable with an escalation of 2% per annum.  The funds generated from these licenses would get deposited into the CHamoru Land Trust Survey and Infrastructure Fund since a lack of surveys on CLTC property is one of the primary roadblocks to the issuance of residential and agricultural leases.

“Providing resources for surveys is a critical need to get families into homes on CLTC properties.  The advantages of this bill are far reaching, and this measure is a steppingstone to lift our entire community up. Our residents continue to struggle with affordable housing options for their families and with record inflation, gas prices, and utility costs, it is my hope that we continue to enact policies that encourage fair and responsible development on Guam that directly impacts the lives of our families in a positive way,” stated the Speaker.

International consortiums join forces to provide connectivity across the globe that include companies such as Facebook, Amazon, and Google who fund these multimillion-dollar telecommunications projects.  The new law positions Guam appropriately in the global market to land cables for these companies without cost to Guam’s taxpayers, and ensures environmental safeguards are in place to protect precious land resources.

“It is my hope that the people of Guam will be encouraged by the major progress we have made today on their behalf.”

The Guam Undersea Access for Homes Act was cosponsored by Senators Telo Taitague, Sabina Perez, Telena Cruz Nelson, Christopher Duenas, and Joanne Brown.

The link to Public Law 36-108 can be found here.

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (SEPTEMBER 26, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam)– Bill No. 309-36 (COR), which is relative to ensuring person or entities who have filed complaints with the Guam Board of Medical Examiners for alleged medical negligence or misconduct are promptly informed on the status of their cases, was debated and moved to the voting file on the Session floor today without objection.

Bill 309 was introduced by Speaker Therese M. Terlaje after several complainants had informed that they were subjected to a lack of efficient follow-up on the status of their cases or a complete absence of a response, even after several requests by complainants for updates. During the latest Committee on Health Oversight Hearing held on February 16, 2022, the Health Professional Licensing Office acknowledged that follow-up with complainants on the status of their cases have been delayed and that they were working to address the issue.

The bill received the support of senators who agreed that the prompt reporting of case statuses should be a standard of the Guam Board of Medical Examiners to ensure fairness, transparency, accountability, and dignity with the process.

Bill 309 is one of several bills introduced by Speaker Terlaje to address a range of complex challenges that appear to impede the Guam Board of Medical Examiners, and other health boards from fulfilling their mandates to improve and protect patient care.

“I want to again thank the very brave people in our community that have come forward to speak up, despite fear of retribution, who bore witness to their tragic stories to highlight where current laws or rules appear to work against them, so that they can be changed. I think we owe them advocacy for truth, justice, and for a process that is fair, a process that encourages action and at the very least, preserves the dignity of our people,” Speaker Terlaje stated.

Session resumes at 9 am tomorrow.

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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.