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Guam Legislature approves $5 million to restart new prison design and procurement process
Summary
The Guam Legislature passed an amendment to appropriate $5,000,000 for the Department of Corrections (DOC) to finance architecture/engineering and related start-up costs for a new correctional facility, citing stalled bids and urgent staffing and safety concerns. The amendment passed 8–5 with two excused.
The Guam Legislature on Aug. 18 passed an amendment to SB 44 that appropriates $5,000,000 from the net projected unobligated fiscal year 2026 general fund revenue balance to restart design and procurement steps for a new Department of Corrections facility.
Senator Chris Barnett, who introduced the amendment, said the money is needed so the Department of Corrections (DOC) “can go to market” for architecture and engineering work. “The Department of Corrections has been very clear in communicating…they can't go to market without $5,000,000 in the bank,” Barnett said. He told colleagues the legislature originally appropriated $5,000,000 but $1,000,000 was later reallocated to emergent repairs, leaving only $4,000,000 and forcing the agency to cancel the planned A&E procurement.
The amendment cites Public Law 36‑57 (the Department of Corrections Modernization Act of 2021) and would add funding specifically for financing, design, construction, maintenance and related expenses for the new facility under that law. Barnett framed the measure as a fulfillment of a multi‑year policy commitment…
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