Guam hearing on Resolution 83-38 urges education, agency action to implement cooperative law

A public hearing of the Guam Legislature on Oct. 30, 2025 drew community leaders, farmers and small-business owners to urge action on Legislative Resolution 83-38, which recognizes the United Nations' designation of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives and calls for coordinated implementation of Guam's Limited Cooperative Association law. The hearing, sponsored by Senator Sabrina Flores Perez and multiple cosponsors, ended with the chair saying the resolution had been "duly heard"; no final vote was recorded.

Advocates told senators the legal framework is now on the books but that implementation is incomplete. "The law exists, and now we need implementation," said Michelle Crisostomo, president of Guahan Sustainable Culture and a commercial farmer, who urged three specific actions in the resolution: workforce education and training, an outreach campaign through the University of Guam and the Guam Economic Development Authority, and Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) administrative support including updated forms and staff training. Crisostomo noted that Guam imports about 90% of its food and that cooperatives could help farmers aggregate supply and access federal programs such as USDA grants.

Jordan Panuelo of the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance framed cooperatives as a tool to meet multiple U.N.…