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Bill to allow temporary peace‑officer certification advanced to help hire criminal‑justice graduates
Summary
Bill 103‑38, ordered to the voting file, would authorize temporary POST certification for degree‑qualified applicants and set a nine‑month deadline for full certification, while preserving agency discretion on hiring standards.
Senator Gomitato moved to place Bill 103‑38 on the third‑reading/voting file and described it as authorizing temporary peace‑officer certification for individuals with a degree in criminal justice or equivalent and who are in good standing. The measure, as amended in committee, allows employing agencies to prescribe limited duties for temporarily certified hires and requires those hires to obtain full POST certification within nine months; failure to do so may lead to separation from employment.
Why it matters: Supporters said the bill addresses a recruitment challenge: University of Guam criminal‑justice graduates and other degree holders have at times waited long periods for POST certification, limiting public agencies’ ability to hire qualified graduates. The measure was framed as a way to retain local graduates and expand the applicant pool for public safety agencies.
Key committee changes adopted and described on the floor: the nine‑month requirement to obtain full certification; preserving agency authority under 17 GCA §51105(c) to set higher qualifications than the POST Commission; authorization for the Attorney General to waive a two‑year investigative experience requirement for an AG investigator position in certain cases; and a provision that use of the Manpower Development Fund for required courses must be subject to approval by either the Guam Department of Labor director or the Guam Community College Board of Trustees.
The bill sponsor cited support from public‑safety leaders and legal stakeholders who said temporary certification would help agencies such as the Office of the Attorney General, Judiciary, Department of Corrections and Guam Police Department recruit and retain locally trained graduates. Committee members noted the POST Commission has placed temporary certification on its work plan and that the bill gives the commission statutory authority to proceed.
Outcome: The Legislature ordered Bill 103‑38, as amended, to the voting file. If enacted, agencies would retain discretion to hire temporarily certified applicants and to set additional qualification standards; the nine‑month window and funding approvals for training were included to limit risk.
