Guam lawmakers hold public hearing on bill to create AI regulatory task force, stakeholders urge permanent OTECH role and funding

Chairwoman Tydegui convened a public hearing June 23 on Bill 64-38, which would establish a Guam Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Task Force to develop a comprehensive framework for AI use in government and the private sector. Testimony from the Office of Technology, Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense, the Judiciary of Guam, the Bureau of Statistics and Plans and several private-sector firms urged the legislature to give the Office of Technology a permanent AI role and to fund that work.

Bill 64-38 seeks to add a new chapter to Title 5, Guam Code Annotated, to create a temporary, 24‑month task force to study AI risks and recommend a regulatory framework. Nicole Nelson, acting chief technology officer for the government of Guam, read testimony from OTech’s CTO noting, "we wholeheartedly support the intent of this bill" and recommending that AI responsibilities be explicitly codified within OTech’s statutory mandate (5 GCA chapter 1, article 12) and funded so the agency can provide ongoing oversight.

Why it matters: witnesses said Guam’s geographic isolation and critical infrastructure make AI governance a public‑safety as well as economic issue. Lucia Perez of the Office of Civil Defense and…