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Legislature panel hears plea for $890,000 to start cybersecurity, MIS manager warns system is "antiquated"
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Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony that the Guam Legislatures network and livestreaming systems are outdated and vulnerable; MIS manager Justin Paredo said $890,000 would establish a baseline but full remediation likely costs millions. Fiscal officials said excess revenues could cover the appropriation.
The Committee of the Whole considered Bill 262-38 LS, a proposal to appropriate $890,000 from excess accumulated general fund revenues for the Guam Legislatures automation and cybersecurity needs for fiscal 2026.
Vice Speaker Tony Atta, the bills sponsor, said the appropriation is intended to modernize the legislatures public access tools and internal systems and asked colleagues to vote in favor. "All we need to do is look at any state legislature's website to see how far behind the norm we are," he said in opening remarks.
The committee questioned where the money would come from and whether the parenthetical phrase "excess reserves" in the bill text created ambiguity. Ed Byrne, the department fiscal official present, reviewed February CRER figures and said "the excess revenues for fiscal 26 as of February 28 were 48,180,000" and that, after accounting for appropriations and potential deappropriations, "the available excess revenues would be 9,928,000." Byrne cautioned that prioritization among competing demands is ultimately an executive decision.
Justin Paredo, sworn in as the Legislatures MIS manager, described both internal and external factors behind the publics interrupted livestreams and the institutions cybersecurity risk. Paredo said internal networking equipment is "consumer grade" and heavily patched with "band aid fixes," and that external platforms have also affected public access. "My house is more secure than the legislature right now," he told senators, adding that the YouTube algorithm has, in his testing and review, made some legislature streams private or intermittently unavailable.
Paredo said the requested appropriation would help harden networking infrastructure, improve backup data storage and server mirroring, and pay for vulnerability assessments (including partnerships and an MOU with outside engineering consultants). He warned that the legislatures needs could exceed the current request: "I've spoken with Jacobs Engineering, and they said it would cost, like, roughly in the millions. At least $2,000,000 just to get started." He characterized the $890,000 as a necessary but limited first step.
Senators pressed Paredo on how much of the streaming interruptions were caused by internal equipment vs. platform moderation; Paredo said both are contributing factors and recommended outreach to federal partners and BEAD funding opportunities for community anchor institutions. Byrne reiterated that while funds exist on paper, the governor sets payout priorities and that passage would not automatically force immediate disbursement without executive action.
The committee closed the first round of questioning with several senators expressing support for the bill while noting the appropriation would not complete the modernization effort. The measure will return for a second round for comments, amendments and any further action.
