Rules committee places multiple bills, confirms one appointment for upcoming session

The Committee on Rules moved to establish the session agenda and placed multiple bills and one appointment on the calendar, the committee chair said during a procedural meeting.

The decisions set which bills the full legislature will consider in the coming session and included measures covering park vendor limits, reimbursement authority for community health centers, continuity of veterans benefits, minimum qualifications for correctional officers, tax offset assignability for the Guam Public Market redevelopment project and the Guam Forestry Act, among others.

Madam Speaker moved to place bill 12431 (as substituted), described in the meeting as “an act to add a new section 34 1 54 to title 5 1 [Guam Code Annotated] relative to” a debt-related list; the motion was ordered after no objection. Senator Barnes provided a document-tracking update and noted recent gubernatorial appointments, including Jonathan Ujowa (Unarmed Combat Commission), Michael Pangelinan (Public Utilities Commission) and Monty Mothnes (Department of Land Management), which the minutes recorded for referral to the appropriate committees.

The committee placed a bill described as an act “to provide the director of parks and recreation with the authority to determine the appropriate number of vendors for the Guam Park System” (identified in the transcript as an amendment to Title 23, Guam Administrative Regulations). That motion was made from the floor and carried without objection, with the committee chair noting a committee report was still circulating but that past practice allowed placement pending the formal report.

Senator Rodriguez moved to place bill 290231, described in the meeting as “an act to authorize the community health centers of the Department of Public Health and Social Services to obtain reimbursement for services rendered to medically indigent program patients” by amending specified subsections of Title 10, and the motion carried with no objection. A separate motion to place bill 30931, described as clarifying continued application of veterans benefits so long as veteran status is maintained, was also carried without objection.

Senator Palacios moved to put bill 296-31 (as amended) on the agenda, described as “an act to add a new section 90.16 to article 1 of chapter 30, title 9, Guam Code Annotated, relative to establishing minimum qualification for the position of correction officers.” That motion drew objections during floor discussion but remained on the agenda as placed by motion.

The committee also agreed to place bill 406-31, described as a repeal-and-reenact of a provision of Public Law 31-77 to allow assignability of offsets against business privilege taxes for outstanding balances on the Guam Public Market redevelopment project, including identified change orders. A resolution to establish a sister-city relationship with Pangasinan (resolution 299-31) was placed as well.

Minority and individual senators requested additional bills be placed; several of those motions carried after the chair confirmed committee reports or said reports would be filed. Senatorial requests included bills described in the transcript as the Guam Forestry Act (bill 382), authorization for the Department of Labor to contract for legal services (bill 268), amendments related to municipal funds (bill 327), and statutory changes concerning enhanced placement eligibility for public employees (bill 330831). A motion to place a scholarship bill for economically disadvantaged students pursuing construction trades (bill 193) was objected to on the floor and therefore not ordered onto the agenda at that time.

The committee confirmed one appointment noted during the meeting: the appointment of Dr. John Machosales as chairperson of the Council on Postsecondary Institution Certification was placed on the session agenda; that motion carried with no objection. After business concluded, the chair accepted a motion to adjourn and the meeting ended.

Why it matters: placing bills and appointments on the session agenda determines what the legislature will formally consider and prioritize in the coming session. The items placed include measures with fiscal, regulatory and personnel implications for Guam agencies and programs, and several were noted as having committee reports in process.

Additional procedural details: several motions were carried “with no objection” as recorded in the transcript; the chair repeatedly noted that committee reports were still being circulated and, consistent with past practice, the committee allowed placement of bills pending the formal filing of those reports.