House declares emergency after typhoons, introduces local bill for disaster recovery
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Summary
The House met in an emergency special session, unanimously declared an emergency to consider relief appropriations after super typhoons hit Laku, and introduced House Local Bill 24‑55 to allocate local disaster recovery funds; members urged coordination with FEMA and warned against fraud and price‑gouging.
The House met in an emergency special session and unanimously declared that "an emergency exists," moving to consider emergency appropriations after super typhoons struck Laku and other islands in the Commonwealth.
Speaker Villegomez opened the session and recognized the floor leader, who moved under the Open Government Act and House rules (rule 3, section 7) that the House formally determine an emergency exists and convene for emergency appropriation measures to address immediate needs. The clerk recorded all 15 members present voting in the affirmative after one member changed her vote from "present" to "yes," and Speaker Villegomez announced, "the house hereby declares that an emergency exists."
The emergency declaration cleared the way for short‑term legislative action. Representative BJ Ata introduced House Local Bill No. 24‑55 to appropriate revenues collected for the 3rd Senatorial District pursuant to Public Law 20‑59 and asked that the measure be introduced as a committee of the whole; the clerk recorded the bill as introduced by the committee of the whole. Representative John Paul Sablan said the local funds were "in the tune of, half 1,000,000" for disaster recovery and announced an SNIOD emergency session at 1:00 p.m. to address the appropriation.
Members used the floor to thank first responders, government agencies and volunteers for emergency response and relief staging. Representative Joelle Camacho thanked DPW, Parks and Rec and volunteers; Representative Abdo thanked federal partners and non‑profits including Caridad and the Salvation Army; Representative Aquino urged careful debris collection to protect FEMA reimbursement eligibility; and Representative Yumo asked that the Legislature be included in planning and logistics so lawmakers and staff can assist constituents seeking water, fuel and other necessities.
Several members warned about fraud, profiteering and price‑gouging during recovery. The floor leader urged improved communication across branches, noted looting and criminal behavior had occurred in some areas, and warned that fraudulent nonprofit activity would be subject to federal investigation. Representative Padan advised residents to document damage (leases, rental agreements, photos and video) to preserve eligibility for federal assistance such as CDBG‑DR.
No public comments were given at the podium. The House then moved to adjournment; a motion to adjourn subject to the call of the chair passed by voice vote and Speaker Villegomez declared the session adjourned.
What happens next: House Local Bill 24‑55 was introduced as a committee of the whole; members said further meetings (including an SNIOD emergency session) will follow to consider the appropriation and coordinate with federal partners and local agencies.
