The Substitute Bill No. 112-36, As Substituted by the Committee on Health, Land, Justice and Culture was submitted to the Committee on Rules on November 10, 2022 and was posted on the Legislature website.

You can access a copy of Substitute Bill No. 112-36 (COR) at this link. 

A Summary of Substitute Bill No. 112-36, As Substituted by the Committee can be found below:

A Roundtable / Public hearing will be held on November 22, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the public hearing room at the Guam Congress Building.

The public is invited to provide oral testimony at the Guam Congress Building, Public Hearing room. Written testimony may also be submitted via email senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com or hand delivered to the Office of Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at the Guam Congress Building. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals requiring special accommodations should contact the Office of Speaker Therese M. Terlaje at (671) 472-3586 or senatorterlajeguam@gmail.com . All hearings broadcast on GTA TV Channel 21, Docomo Channel 117/112.4, and livestream on the Guam Legislature YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GuamLegislatureMedia.

The Committee Report for Bill 291 and Committee Vote sheet was submitted to COR on November 10, 2022.

You can access the Bill 291-36 (LS) Committee Report and Committee vote sheet below: 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (November 10, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam)  

Speaker Therese Terlaje introduced Bill No. 357-36 (COR) which extends the Prugraman Ayuda Para I Taotao-ta Energy Credit Program and provides GPA customers with a $500 credit toward their account over the next five months. If passed, GPA customers will receive a $100 credit every month from December through April 2023.

The current Prugraman Ayuda Para I Taotao-ta Energy Credit Program is set to end in November, however ratepayers continue to suffer from increased power rates from the Guam Power Authority.  In October, the Public Utilities Commission decided to increase the Guam Power Authority fuel surcharge to nearly 32 cents per kilowatt-hour which would amount on average to a $22 increase in the total average monthly bill for residents using 1,000 kWh. The new rate will apply beginning in November and will last through January 2023, when the PUC will consider the surcharge again.

Bill No. 357-36 proposes to use unappropriated general fund revenues collected in excess of the adopted revenues levels of the FY 2022 Budget Act.  The government collected $103.5 M more in general funds than what was adopted in the FY 2022 Budget Act, according to the September 2022 Consolidated Revenue and Expenditure Report (CRER).  The CRER also subtracts all other FY 2022 and FY 2023 general fund appropriations from the $103.5 M excess revenues, still leaving an unobligated general fund revenue amount of $47.5 M for FY 2022. The appropriation in Bill No. 357-36 is for $26.3 M to the Guam Power Authority for the energy credit program.

“Many in our community are still feeling the economic impacts of inflation and the global pandemic and are in need of assistance, especially for basic monthly expenses like energy and gas prices. The government currently has excess revenues and must act now to provide this relief. It is my hope that the Legislature can act swiftly on this measure before the term ends,” stated Speaker Terlaje.

Bill No. 357-36 can be found here.

on the Late Master Ifit Carver, Robert Philip Taitano

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (Saturday, November 5, 2022- Hagatña, Guam) Today, our island has lost a strong and steady advocate of CHamoru culture, creativity, and resilience. Our hearts are heavy upon learning that Master Ifit Carver, and member of Guam’s Greatest Generation, Robert Philip Taitano of the village of Yigo, has passed away at the age of eighty-four. 

Master Robert Philip Taitano was a carpenter by trade, and a largely self-taught woodcarver, that began as a hobby in the 80’s, and then flourished into a business upon a growing demand for his exquisite wood pieces. For the last four decades, we were blessed with his artistry, and have admired and sought after the many carefully crafted and intricate wood pieces made by his steady hand. Each hardwood piece that he carved into life, whether it be a wooden table, a chongka board, cabinet, a Latte Stone plaque mounted by an ayuyu, or kamyo siya in the shape of the Haggan Bedi, materialized the beauty and uniqueness of our CHamoru culture and resilience and inspired a sense of pride.

For years, Taitano was commissioned to carve wooden nameplates for senators of the Guam Legislature, the speaker’s and judges’ gavels, a podium for former Guam Governor Edward Baza Calvo, and has made gift pieces for dignitaries at the request of Guam’s Delegates to the US Congress. Among his most exceptional wooden pieces were thirteen high-backed ifit chairs used to seat President Clinton and other dignitaries during an historic visit to Guam in 1998. The chairs are now housed in a museum in Hawai’i. Master Taitano also carved the Presidential Seal as a gift for the Commander-in-Chief.

On 29 April 2011, Robert Philip Taitano, was formally recognized in a ceremony as Master Folk Artist by the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency. Master Taitano’s artistry and craft will live on through the steady hands of three of his sons, and others who have had the honor to have apprenticed under him, be inspired by his work.

On behalf of the 36th Guam Legislature, and the people of Guam, we send our deepest sympathies and prayers for peace and comfort to his wife Antonia Santos Taitano, his children Cindy and Tommy Hoover, Joseph Taitano and June Delgado, Bill Taitano, Mark and Lupita Taitano, Rodney Taitano, David Santos and Darlene Cruz, Johnny Taitano, Margaret Taitano and William Smith, Robert Jr. and Tanya Taitano, Jennifer, and Martin Torres, his 37 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (October 21, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Speaker Therese Terlaje successfully moved Bill 319-36 (COR) into the third reading file during the first day of October session.  The bill mirrors a portion of U.S. Public Law 117-90, which amended the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), effectively invalidating any pre-dispute arbitration clause in cases involving sexual misconduct allegations. The intent of the measure is to apply these standards and protections locally.  The federal legislation was championed and supported by a mass coalition of survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault, and their allies, to include the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, among many, many more.

The Speaker stated, “Forced arbitration strips a survivor of the right to decide how to pursue accountability and does very little to stop this type of systemic abuse from occurring again. We have heard of stories from survivors right here on our island, for whom forced arbitration continues to place barriers in front of their quests for justice.  It must be the most unbearable thing to be sexually harassed or assaulted by an employer, a colleague, or a doctor and then be forced to settle your disputes in secretive proceedings- in a private system of costly mandatory arbitration. We must end the forced silence of victims.”

The bill would for the first time ensure that victims of sexual harassment and assault have the option of suing their abusers in court, invalidating any contract that closed off the option – a common condition of employment at many companies.  Nancy Erika Smith, an employment lawyer who represented Gretchen Carlson in a landmark sexual harassment case against the founder and then CEO of Fox News told the New York Times, “The Weinsteins, the Cosbys, the Roger Ailes and the Bill O’Reillys of the world used mandatory arbitration to force women into secrecy…They stayed in positions of power and continued to abuse women.”

The Speaker noted during her remarks on the bill that going to court is not easy, but the threat of woman going to court often make companies take a realistic view of their liability. When a woman files a sexual harassment lawsuit in court, she typically ends up hearing from other women and that doesn’t happen when you file a request for arbitration. It’s a much bigger threat to be able to go to court.

“I’d like to thank my colleagues for their consideration on this bill, but mostly I would like to thank the courageous souls who have shared their stories of tragedy and challenges with the system as they seek justice.  We can only make these types of meaningful changes to our laws when these voices speak out bravely and loudly,” said Speaker Terlaje.

Bill No. 319-36 can be found here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (October 18, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam) – Original landowners of the property known as Eagles Field and the surrounding area weighed in today at the Guam Congress Building during an oversight and public hearing on the proposed location of a new hospital.  The hearing was conducted by Speaker Therese Terlaje and the legislative oversight committee on land, who invited landowners, agency, and government officials as well as the general public to discuss their concerns on the siting of the proposed medical campus as well as the procurement of contracts pertaining to it.

The Oversight Chair on Land clarified that the Guam Legislature is not opposed to the construction of a new hospital, evident by the laws the body has passed to establish a health task force, and to authorize the government of Guam to enter into contract for the design, build, finance and lease of a medical campus.

Frank Tenorio Lujan, a member of the public with ties to land on Eagles Field, along with other landowners, urged the members of the legislature to advocate for them to which the Speaker stated that she is supporting what the people of Guam have supported for decades, the return of property to its original landowners stating, “we are with you.”  Terlaje had cited the position of I Liheslaturan Guahan since the passage of the Guam Ancestral Lands enabling act, P.L. 24-45 in 1999, that the government of Guam “memorialize the true history of land takings on Guam, in spite of well-settled legal protections, as a foundation for establishing a process for the recognition of indigenous Guamanians’ claims to their ancestral lands, also known as “ancestral titles” so that the property rights of all citizens residing on Guam may be fully and equally protected in the future.”

The committee chair noted that she was looking to determine what the landowners thought of the proposal of a 99-year lease, instead of the return of land, and the hospital being situated there.  Landowners resoundingly united in support that they wanted the government to advocate for the return of their property.

“I agree that we need a new hospital and have supported the efforts that have come before the legislature. However, if there is an intent and willingness to lease Eagles Field for 99-years, then that sounds like excess to me, as was already indicated in writing by the Secretary of the Navy in his January 15, 2021, letter.  If we were not bold, not unified, nobody would have gotten their land back. Unless the local law is changed, we should honor it.  This is justice for Guam and the landowners, and I thank them for reminding us of the real effects of the massive land takings and of generations that were displaced.” stated the Speaker.

The full 5 hour oversight and public hearing can be found at these links for Part 1 and Part 2.

Speaker Terlaje’s Bill Aims to Bring the ‘ER to your Door’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (October 4, 2022 – Hagåtña, Guam) – A public hearing was held today by the Legislative Oversight Chair for the Committee on Health, Speaker Therese Terlaje, who authored Bill No. 335-36 (COR).  The measure intends to make updates to the ‘Emergency Medical Services’ policy which align Guam with the national certification standards; facilitate local certification for paramedics, in addition to implementing licensure fees to fund special training programs that will enhance healthcare services on Guam.

According to Guam Fire Department (GFD) Fire Chief, Daniel Stone, the bill enables GFD to continue its goal of modernizing the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Units with licensed paramedics.  In addition, he stated that acknowledging the national standards for all emergency healthcare providers will greatly enhance the services provided to the community by both public and private entities.

Dorothy Duenas, Administrator of the School of Allied Health at Guam Community College, also testified in support of the bill.  She stated that GCC has partnered with the School of EMS based out of Tyler, Texas to educate and complete 15 of Guam’s GFD personnel to become paramedics of our island. According to GMHA, the National Registry Certified Paramedic is the highest national prehospital certification for medical first responders and until last month, Guam did not have any paramedic certified first responders for the community outside those working for military installations.

Assistant Fire Chief, Daren Burrier, noted in his testimony that Guam will be able to have a more “ER to the door” concept now.  He stated, “We’re going to have paramedics arrive with all the medications that they are going to need. They’ll be able to start IVs and perform advanced cardiac life support measures in the field prior to arrival” which will help patients increase their chances to survive outside the hospital.

Speaker Terlaje stated, “This bill is coupled with additional proposals by my Committee to modernize certification, licensing, and reporting efforts that address policy gaps with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare services on Guam. Thanks to the hard work and collaborative efforts of GFD and the Guam Community College, we will now be able to train and certify paramedics to support the island’s emergency services. If this bill should pass into law, it will be a major milestone in bringing lifesaving resources to the doorsteps of our residents.”

Bill No. 335-36 can be found here.

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.