Acting Speaker Therese Terlaje (March 3,2018 – Hagåtña):

“To be sure that everyone is clear,

We were called into session by the Governor on March 2 at 1 p.m. pursuant to a message, whereby he revoked his call to session on Bill 1(5-S) and further called the Legislature into session on the revised version of Bill 245 before us today, which has been marked Bill 1(6-S).
I shared with each of you the opinion from our Legislative Bureau on Friday, yesterday that the Governor was without authority to revoke his call to any session once it has convened or to call another special session throughout the duration of an existing special session. I continue to find this opinion valid in light of the analysis and caselaw provided by the Legal Bureau. However, without waiving the Legislature’s right to challenge the actions of the Governor, we will proceed for this special session in conformance with the Attorney General’s opinion that the Governor’s call is valid.

I would additionally like to reiterate the prior actions by the Legislative Body in regards to the three earlier special sessions called by the Governor this week. Bills 248-34 (LS) and 249-34 (LS), both relative to establishing a sales tax, were referred to committee and have been set for a public hearing on Thursday, March 8th at 9 am. Bill 1(5-S) was also relative to a sales tax and set for public hearing on Friday.

I just want to my colleagues for your attendance and your reply to the call to session tonight.”

For more information, please call the Office of Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586.

03.03.18 Acting Speaker Terlaje TRANSCRIPT

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (March 1, 2018 – Hagåtña) – After being called into three separate special sessions last night, at 7 p.m., 9 p.m., and midnight, the Legislature reconvened this morning at 10 a.m. in a special session called by the Governor on Bill 1(5-S). The Governor’s bill was referred by the Legislature to the Committee on Taxation. Committee Chairman Senator Joe S. San Agustin will hold a public hearing on Friday, March 9 at 7 p.m for Bill 1(5-S) and a separate hearing will be held on Thursday, March 8 at 9 a.m. for two other bills aimed at implementing a sales tax, Bill No. 248-34 (LS) introduced by Senator Joe S. San Agustin, and Bill No. 249-34 (LS) introduced by Senator Fernando Esteves. The reorganization bill, Bill No. 247-34 (COR) introduced by Senator Frank B. Aguon, will have a hearing on Wednesday March 7 at 10:30 a.m. The three sales tax bills, the re-organization bill, and Bill No. 230-34 (COR) to lift tax exemptions from banks and health insurance that was previously introduced at the request of the Governor, are still options under consideration.

In the absence of Speaker Cruz, Acting Speaker Terlaje will reconvene the special session tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Despite the threat to government employees of a 32-hour work week, the Attorney General has insisted that all laws must be followed by the Governor in any potential furlough. Senators continue to work on solutions for the $67 Million reduction in revenue from income taxes, in addition to the $37 Million dollars in cuts discussed by the various agencies. Additional information has been requested from the Governor’s fiscal team as to the Governor’s list of 16 revenue enhancement strategies, and public input is sought on the pending bills on Wednesday and Thursday.

“My colleagues and I continue to insist on responsible cuts by the government of Guam, and that revenue enhancement strategies be developed without delay. However, we must listen to the public before going into session on any of the new proposals,” stated Terlaje.

For more information, please call the Office of Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586.

NR_Senator Require Community Input on New Proposals for Fiscal Shortfall

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (February 19, 2018 – Hagåtña)- Bill 217-34 (COR), introduced by Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje and co-sponsored by Senator Dennis G. Rodriguez and Senator Tom Ada, relative to updating the Guam Veteran Registry was unanimously passed on the legislative session floor today.

Bill 217-34 (COR) mandates Government of Guam entities that are providing benefits or services to the Veteran community, to forward a copy of the proof of Veteran status to the Guam Veteran Affairs Office (GVAO) for the purpose of updating the Guam Veteran Registry. Amendments were made to Bill 217-34 (COR) on the session floor, to ensure a Veterans “documented consent” to the transmittal of the proof of Veteran status to the GVAO.

According to Speaker Terlaje, Bill 217-34 (COR) is an effort to help bolster the GVAO’s outreach efforts to veterans and their families and strengthen the case for increased funding for Veteran services, which was the intent of the previous 32nd Legislature when the Guam Veteran Registry was created.

“I thank my fellow senators, particularly my Veteran colleagues, the GVAO and the Veteran community for providing their feedback and support to make the long-awaited registry and the benefits it may bring to veterans a reality,” stated Vice Speaker Terlaje.

For more information, please call the Office of Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586.

NR_Bill No. 217-34 passes unanimously

I consider myself blessed to be a CHamoru woman born to a people whose cultural values center around honoring and respecting elders and ancestors, caring for the land, and promoting the collective spirit of Inafa’ maolek in everything we do. I am proud to come from a people, for whom despite a very long history of colonization and war still manage to wake up in the morning, smile, joke, sing, dance and proudly call themselves CHamoru. Each day the Inifresi, written by the late Dr. Bernadita Dungca, unites all generations in a very clear quest to protect and defend our home and all that is sacred: Prutehi yan Difende i Hinengge, i Kottura, i Lengguahi, i Aire, i Hanom yan i Tano’ CHamoru. I dare say that it is this call that unites us in government service and transcends party politics, economic backgrounds, life experiences, and special interests.

I encourage each one of us to renew this commitment in our own individual lives – to honor our legacy, to cultivate closer ties to the land, and to speak CHamoru everyday with our families and in our workplaces. CHamoru culture is a vibrant component of our existence, also calling us to make choices and foster social, political, environmental and economic practices that support a healthy community and environment. The preservation of our sacred sites and ancestral villages, and the empowerment of our people to be the true stewards of our lands and invaluable natural resources are crucial in promoting CHamoru culture and need our critical attention now.

Our laws clearly reflect that the leaders of Guam prioritized the vitality of CHamoru culture beginning with ensuring that CHamoru become an official language of the Government of Guam, and many other measures. CHamoru culture and language have been integrated in public policies, cultural events, and economic and educational programs, despite many overwhelming challenges. Some of the policies that my colleagues and I have been able to advance include increased enforcement by the Guam Historic Resources Division, and the long awaited Chamorro National Shrine, the Naftan Mañaina-ta. We also channeled funding for the commemoration of massacre sites in our villages to remember those we have lost, to honor CHamoru survival. Such efforts encourage the sharing of stories between generations to build a deeper and imperative understanding of our history. Our government agencies also work in partnership with the many organizations that exist to sustain traditional knowledge and practices, cultivate artistic expressions, revive seafaring skills, and improve CHamoru language fluency.

Mes CHamoru and the annual Guam History & Chamorro Heritage Day holiday honored every March, are representative of a shift in CHamoru consciousness to celebrate our history, cultural values and resiliency as indigenous people. I truly enjoy and am deeply inspired by these significant occasions and I encourage all residents to take part in the great events hosted by the Department of Education Chamorro Studies Division, the Department of Chamorro Affairs, the University of Guam, Guam Visitors Bureau, and many other community organizations. It is my hope that the inspiration and Inafa’ maolek that we share during Mes CHamoru and from larger events like the Festival of Pacific arts can be sustained all year long and for years to come.

Printed February 17, 2018, Pacific Daily News
Letter: Renew commitment to the inifresi
http://www.guampdn.com/story/opinion/readers/2018/02/17/letter-renew-commitment-inifresi/347461002/

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (January 25, 2018 – Hagåtña) – Vice Speaker
Therese M. Terlaje, along with Senator Tommy Morrison, Senator Dennis G. Rodriguez, Jr., Senator William Castro, Senator Fernando Esteves, Senator Joe S. San Agustin, and Senator Louise B. Muña introduced Bill No. 231-34 (LS) yesterday which proposes to restrict additional revenues from the Guam Highway Fund for village road repair in Fiscal Year 2018.

During a Department of Public Works oversight hearing, it was revealed to the Guam Legislature that DPW has plans to repair 19 different village roads using approximately $2.3 million already appropriated from the FY 2018 budget and $2 million from the Office of the Governor. These 19 roads are part of a longer DPW and Mayors Priority list of 114 village streets in need of repair. DPW expects an additional $3.5 million in unappropriated revenues in the Guam Highway Fund for FY 2018.

“One of the mandates of the voters is that street repair in our villages be accomplished as soon as possible. Bill No. 231-34 ensures the additional $3.5 million for the Guam Highway Fund is immediately dedicated to the priority roads,” stated Vice Speaker T erlaje.
Co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Tommy Morrison stated, “Bill No. 231-34 provides for safer roadways across our island – while keeping this Legislature focused on addressing more of the nearly $1 billion worth of projects in the Guam Village Streets Master Plan.”

For more information, please call the Office of Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586.
NR_Ensuring the Repairs of Village Streets

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (December 29, 2017 – Hagåtña) – Vice
Speaker Therese M. Terlaje (D-Yona) introduced Bill No. 225-34 (COR) today which proposes to help address the hospital needs of our residents and tourists through the remaining Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Bond proceeds.

It was revealed to the Guam Legislature through a December 18, 2017 letter from the Guam Economic Development Authority (GEDA) that on November 27th the GEDA board approved to re-program $5 Million of the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Bond funding, originally intended to address Phase 3 of the Tumon Flood Mitigation project, towards the reconstruction of the Palåsyo in Hagatña.

“We have consistently heard from our medical professionals and residents that GMH is in dire need of updated medical equipment and resources for modernization to better serve our community and save lives. This bill prioritizes critical medical equipment and capital improvements for in-patient or emergency care over the reconstruction of a Palåsyo. It is my hope that this bill might alleviate the need for proposed tax increases for hospital modernization projects,” stated Terlaje.

For more information, please call the Office of Vice Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586.

NR_Terlaje_Prioritize Medical Equipment GMH

The United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) held a hearing of petitioners on items related to decolonization from October 3rd through October 6th at the UN Building in New York City. Vice Speaker Therese Terlaje, also serving as the Vice Chairperson of Guam’s Commission on Decolonization, testified as a petitioner on the afternoon of October 3rd (morning of October 4th Guam time), along with Governor Eddie Baza Calvo, Senator Telena Nelson, Dr. Lisa Linda Natividad, and several other representatives from Guam.

You can watch all of the petitioners who represented Guam at the United Nation’s 4th Committee website here:
http://webtv.un.org/watch/fourth-committee-3rd-meeting-general-assembly-72nd-session/5595945643001/?term=
Time stamps for the petitioners, which begin with Governor Calvo, start at 1:52:35 and Vice Speaker Terlaje presents at 2:40:00.

The 4th committee also provided a press release regarding the hearing, noting that action on the New Caledonia and Guam draft resolutions has been postponed in order to add statements delivered during the hearing of petitioners, expressing hope that the task would be completed in a timely manner. You can read the full press release from the United Nations 4th committee here:
https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/gaspd638.doc.htm

Read the full written testimony submitted by Vice Speaker Terlaje here:
Written TMT submission to UN October 2017_final

You may also read the transcript of Vice Speaker Terlaje’s oral testimony or view a video of her presentation below:

Håfa Adai, Your Excellency, Chairman Carreño and distinguished members of the Fourth Committee.

I am Therese M. Terlaje, Vice Speaker of the 34th Guam Legislature and Vice Chairperson of Guam’s Commission on Decolonization. Si Yu’os Ma’åse’ and thank you for the opportunity to support action toward the decolonization of Guam.

Self-determination for Guam must include the safeguarding of the non-self-governing people’s right to its natural resources and the right to participate freely in decision-making concerning those resources. It is also critically important in this time of climate change that Guam, a small island, be allowed to protect resources that increase the absorption of carbon dioxide, protect shores against rising tides, and maintain biodiversity as a hope for the future wellness, and economic independence of the community. Our situation on Guam is urgent, as our land and ocean are increasingly under threat, and access and control of our resources is impeded by the delay in decolonization.

Studies have found over 100 contaminated sites on Guam. Almost all from U.S. military activity, which result in the people of Guam’s continued exposure to many cancer-causing agents. Guam has been denied in U.S. compensation programs for radiation exposure despite high levels of cancer rates and findings of exposure as down-winders of the U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.

Nonetheless, the U.S. military training and testing areas continue to grow beyond one third of the island and include miles of sonar and live-fire detonations, the removal of acres of limestone forests, and endangered corals.

A week ago, the U.S. filed yet another lawsuit against the government of Guam seeking to invalidate the Chamorro Land Trust Act, a 40-year-old Guam law that reserves land in trust, forever, for the native inhabitants of Guam, and allows them to reside and farm on this land. This Act was intentionally established by the Guam Legislature to address the loss of land through forced land takings and the forced resettlement of Chamorros during periods of colonization and especially after WWII, when more than two thirds of Guam’s land was taken by the U.S. military.

It is ironic and unjust that the U.S. is allowed years of inaction on decolonization, but may suddenly and unilaterally, after 40 years, attempt to dismantle a program that safeguards a homeland for the native inhabitants in its territory.

The U.S. argument that the Chamorro Land Trust law is discriminatory is inconsistent with the establishment of similar programs in U.S. states and other territories. The claim also contrasts with arguments by the U.S. in cases challenging the U.S. unilateral establishment of firing ranges in Guam, where, the U.S. argues that its courts are precluded from stopping the firing ranges because it is a political question to be determined by U.S. Congress alone; and because of an international agreement made between the U.S. and Japan (without consultation with Guam).

Make no mistake: the indigenous people of Guam do not agree and have never freely agreed, requested, voted, or negotiated that our land and waters and our food be contaminated; that our fishing grounds and ocean resources be restricted; that homes and villages be relocated; that firing ranges be built adjacent to ancient villages and sacred burial grounds; that homelands be lost; or that our borders be decided without our input.

I urge this distinguished committee to adopt a resolution demanding the immediate Decolonization of Guam before any more resources are lost.

Dangkulo na si Yu’os Ma’åse’ (Thank you very much) for your efforts and dedication to decolonization for Guam.

Therese M. Terlaje
Vice Speaker, 34th Guam Legislature
Chairperson, Committee on Culture and Justice