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Officials cite vacancies and quorum problems as reason to trim EMS Commission membership
Summary
HPLO and DPHSS told senators the EMS Commission has faced attendance and vacancy problems, prompting sponsors to propose reducing membership so the board can achieve quorum and act efficiently.
Brianna Sablan, acting administrator for the Health Professional Licensing Office (HPLO), told the committee that the EMS Commission often lacks a quorum and that the HPLO submits quarterly attendance reports to the legislature. When asked whether the commission had ever taken action contrary to statute, Sablan said no: "We do not have any meeting if there's no quorum and we do go by the, majority plus 1." She also reported current vacancies affecting DPW, Guam Police Department, Office of Highway Safety, the local carrier seat and non‑emergency transport — "so a total of 5 vacancies."
DPHSS Director Therese Areola acknowledged the challenge of filling public at‑large positions and said the department recommended removing one public‑at‑large seat because it had been difficult to find committed appointees; DPHSS nevertheless emphasized the importance of defining the public seat carefully so that the commission retains meaningful public representation.
