Rules Committee clears 31 bills for upcoming session; speaker to set bill priorities and allow 15-minute author opening

The Committee on Rules of the 38th Guam Legislature on July 16 adopted a session agenda that places 16 bills on an initial list and 15 additional bills on a second list, ratified referrals and appointments for session consideration, and set guidance that the speaker will determine priorities for which bills are heard first.

The action clears a total of 31 bills to be considered during upcoming sessions and adds multiple nominees and appointments to the session calendar. Speaker Blas told the committee, “We have a very tight timeline,” citing concurrent organic-act anniversary events and the upcoming budget session.

The committee voted without recorded objection to accept the first list of 16 bills and then to accept the second list of 15 bills. The committee also ratified referral of multiple bill-number ranges and added several appointment confirmations to the session agenda. The chair subsequently moved to adopt the overall session…