Ways and Means advances language-fee bill and multiple district appropriations, tables several tax proposals

The Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday approved committee reports on a package of measures affecting language services and district appropriations, while tabling a set of tax and fee proposals for further review.

The panel voted by voice to send House Bill 24-85 — which would allow the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy Commission to assess fees for translation services and retain those fees in a revolving fund — to the full body with a committee report. "This legislation would allow the commission to keep some of the money for their operational costs," the vice chair said, explaining the change would let the commission upgrade equipment and produce requested documents more quickly.

Committee members also adopted substitutes and committee reports for two $300,000 appropriations from Commonwealth Economic Development Authority dividends. House Bill 24-89 was amended to House Substitute One to remove a specific 'infrastructure' designation and require the Second Senatorial District delegation to adopt a resolution distributing funds for municipal projects. The committee took a similar substitute approach and approved a committee report for House Bill 24-91, which would direct $300,000 to projects in the First Senatorial District. "We want to make sure the facility is up to par for future sports tourism," Representative Julie Ogo said while describing RoA project priorities including pavilions, restrooms and sports facilities.

The committee also approved a committee report for House Bill 24-92, which would appropriate $63,000 from Schedule A of Public Law 24-20 — funds the bill’s author described as essential to soil, water and agricultural conservation across the three senatorial districts.

Several other proposals were tabled for additional agency input or interagency work. Representative Joe Flores’s House Bill 24-81, proposing a nonprofit organization tax credit to encourage business donations, was set aside so the committee’s legal staff can draft amendments responding to Department of Commerce comments. Representative TJ Mangalonia’s House Bill 24-95, which would exempt gross receipts under $50,000 and restructure gross revenue tax tiers for small businesses, drew extended debate about the local definition of "small business," revenue impacts and risks of capital flight; members agreed to solicit further comment from revenue, commerce and business stakeholders before reconsideration. A related measure, House Bill 24-98, proposing gross-revenue relief for taxpayers operating at a net loss under the territorial income tax, was likewise tabled.

Members also tabled House Bill 24-97, a proposal to exempt the Seaport Authority from remitting the 1% public auditor fee, after the Office of the Public Auditor flagged concerns and committee staff were asked to confirm the Seaport Authority’s payment history.

Where votes were recorded in the transcript, measures advanced by voice vote; the committee did not record roll-call tallies in the hearing transcript. The chair said the committee will route the adopted committee reports for signatures and schedule follow-up sessions on tabled items.

What happens next: committee reports approved today will go to the full legislative body for consideration. Tabled bills will return only after authors work with agencies or submit revised text incorporating requested clarifications.