Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo
Congressional Address
January 31, 2008
"Building Partnerships"

Distinguished Island Leaders and Guests, my dear people of Guam:

Buenas noches todos hamyo.


It is my honor to stand before you this evening to deliver my third Congressional Address. Let me begin by asking you to join me in remembering and honoring the late Senator Tony Unpingco, my dear friend, who leaves us with a legacy of what the essence of public service should be. His life and his work will inspire us for many years to come. Please rise and join me in a moment of silence.

Our thoughts and prayers are also with you Senator Mark Forbes and your family today and we hope you have a full recovery.


It is my practice to deliver my Congressional Address between the first and second sessions of Congress. Today is a significant day for me because it is the anniversary of the passing of my husband, Ricky. I think Ricky is smiling tonight as I give this report to our people – and he would be thrilled that I am serving as your representative in Congress. In fact, I would not be surprised if he had a "thought flash" and is dictating one of his famous memos with his input for this speech.

The 110th Congress began with a historic shift in power as the Democrats took control of both the House and the Senate. One of the most important changes has been the restoration of the Delegate vote on the floor in the Committee of the Whole. This allows us to vote on amendments to a bill, but not final passage. Although the House rules make this a symbolic vote, it is nonetheless a meaningful symbol of participation.

Days after the election in 2006, the transition to our majority status yielded one of the pleasant surprises of the 110th Congress. As the majority party leader, Speaker Pelosi received additional slots in the House page program. I immediately requested an opportunity to nominate a page, and my nominee was accepted into the program. Breanna Lai, "Boo," came to Washington in January 2007 on a cold, wintry day. She spent a semester in the page program living in a dormitory with her fellow pages, going to school in the early morning and then working on the House floor later in the day. She made many friends and made a positive impression for Guam.

In 2005, I was fortunate to be asked to nominate a page for the spring program, the same program Boo participated in. My first page was Jon Junior Calvo, who is now a student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Jon is home for the semester and I would like Jon and Boo and their proud parents to stand and be recognized.

The city of Washington is one of our nation's greatest classrooms, with its monuments, museums and cultural attractions. That is why I have made an effort to provide internship opportunities for college students in my Washington office. Over the past five years we have had a number of outstanding interns, including Ria Baldevia, Régine Biscoe, Colton Borja, Krystina Borja, Lani Camacho, Adam Carbullido, Christian Eusebio, Moneka de Oro, Alex Djalali, Jonathan Duenas, Daniel Gatewood, Joy James, Scott Knudson, Jonathan Lotz, Derek Mandell, Jessica Marati, Matthew Mateo, Daniel McDaniel, Jennifer McFerran, Robert Nakamura, Stephan Perez, Paulo Pontemayor, Selina Pothen, Teresa Sablan, Carla Santos, Darin Santos, Phil Torres, Kelly Toves, Katrina Untalan, and Vera Wu. For students and parents watching this broadcast on television or tuning in on the radio, I want you to take note of these opportunities. We have already accepted applicants for this summer, including Samantha Lai, Champ Camacho, Mikáele Cruz and Brices Flores. I know some of the students and parents are here with us tonight and I ask you to please stand and be recognized.

Our future is also represented by our young men and women who have been appointed to our nation's service academies. One of the first bills I introduced in Congress increased the number of service academy nomination slots for Guam. We currently have more cadets and midshipmen at the service academies than at any other time. At the Air Force Academy are Korey Mundell, David Lee Hooper, Joseph Crisostomo, Jae Hyun Kim, Dominic Leon Guerrero, and Suong Hun Lee. At the Naval Academy, we have Chelsea Reidy, Kimberly Lizama, and Raymond Piana. At the Naval Academy Prep School we have Jonathan Tenorio and Jade Prudente. And at the Military Academy at West Point we have Daniel McDaniel and Kathryn Tabunar. These young men and women, upon graduation, will serve our nation as military leaders. Some of their parents are here tonight and I call on them to stand and be recognized.

Many of our young men and women choose to serve our nation on active duty or in the Guard and Reserves and the Coast Guard. I have seen our men and women in the far corners where they serve, from Iraq, to Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and the Persian Gulf. I know that we are all proud of our men and women who serve and we pray for them every day. I want to recognize our partners in freedom, the commanders of military units on Guam for the outstanding job they do and for the leadership they provide. For the sacrifices our servicemen and women throughout the world make every day for our freedom, we extend our deepest gratitude. Those who serve in our military and are with us tonight please stand and be recognized.

The men and women who serve our nation today are equal in courage and spirit to the men and woman who served during World War II and who liberated our island from occupation. Today, our work in Washington continues in the effort to bring recognition for those who endured the occupation. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 1595, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, during the first session by a recorded vote of 288 to 133. I want to recognize the role of former Congressman Ben Blaz, who joined me on the House floor for the debate on H.R. 1595. Congressman Blaz, in partnership with Governor Camacho and Senator Unpingco, helped secure Republican support. The Guam Legislature passed a resolution supporting H.R. 1595, and I thank all of you as well. This is the furthest that any war claims bill has advanced, but it is not the end of the journey. The bill is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

I continue to work on moving H.R. 1595 through the Senate and ultimately to the President's desk. I have recently had discussions with key Senate leaders including Senators Daniel Inouye, Daniel Akaka, James Webb and Hillary Clinton to seek their assistance in helping to shepherd H.R. 1595 through the Senate. I recognize our progress was made possible by the foundation laid by former Congressmen Tony Won Pat, Ben Blaz and Robert Underwood, as well as the work of the Guam War Claims Review Commission, which included Senator Tony Unpingco and Senator B.J. Cruz. This is one area where all of us must remain united in purpose and determined in our resolve, and in partnership with the Governor, the Legislature, and all of our people, we will continue to do everything we possibly can to enact H.R. 1595 into law. This is only possible with both Democratic and Republican support in Washington and I look forward to bipartisan cooperation to make it happen.

We had another legislative achievement in the House that will lead to a new partnership with our friends in the Northern Marianas for our visitor industry. H.R. 3079, the Northern Marianas Immigration, Security and Labor Act, includes a number of provisions important to Guam. The bill passed the House in September with bipartisan support. I did not initially support the bill when it was introduced, but after it was modified to meet my concerns, I signed on as a cosponsor.

The Legislature, led by Senator Judi Guthertz, expressed concerns about the bill. I thank you for your input and I worked with Chairwoman Donna Christensen to address these concerns. We also extended to Guam the same exemptions from the H-1 and H-2 visa caps that the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) would receive under the bill – this ensures parity for our two jurisdictions.

Most importantly, for the first time, Guam and the CNMI would have a regional visa waiver program based on the Guam-only visa waiver program and extending from 15 to 45 days the length of stay for visitors. This provision has the potential to make our visitor product more competitive.

In working on H.R. 3079, we partnered with the Governor, the Legislature, the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB), the Guam International Airport Authority (GIAA), the Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association (GHRA), and the Guam Chamber of Commerce. Our partnership resulted in an improvement of the visa waiver program. Just this morning the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the bill and it is now ready for floor consideration.

Another change in the 110th Congress is that I have been appointed as the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans in the Committee on Natural Resources. This is the International Year of the Reef and we are working in partnership with the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) to conserve our coral reef resources. My subcommittee has oversight of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and international fisheries and species conservation. We are making progress on many fronts and I am seeking to increase federal support for our conservation programs, the Micronesia Challenge, and our fishermen. My subcommittee also has responsibility for compliance by federal agencies with key environmental laws and we are working to make partnerships between the federal government and local communities more effective.

Undoubtedly our biggest challenge as a community will be the military build-up and the relocation of 8,000 Marines and their family members from Okinawa. As leaders we are tasked to meet this challenge in a way that benefits our island. When I first addressed this body in February 2004, I spoke of the "Challenges Ahead," and in particular, I called for action to prepare for the Base Closure and Realignment round of 2005 (BRAC). Together, in partnership, we made a strong case for protecting our bases and, in fact, highlighted our island's strategic location and unused capacity.

Our message resonated. In addition to BRAC 2005, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the Integrated Global Presence and Basing Strategy (IGPBS) and the Overseas Basing Commission contributed to the realignment of military forces in Asia. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld came to Guam with me in November 2003 to finalize his decisions and he traveled to Japan and Korea to consult with our allies on our force posture. These force realignments will strengthen our partnership with our allies and provide for mutual security into the next decade and beyond.

The relocation of Marines comes at a time when Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam are also undertaking expanded missions. The new missions and the build-up represent a renewed focus on the strategic importance of our island. A $14 billion investment is planned for Guam. The Government of Japan has authorized $6 billion (US) to support the realignment and the United States has pledged $4 billion. In addition, another $4 billion is programmed in future budgets for infrastructure at Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base.

It is vital for Guam and the federal government to continue their hard work in planning for this proposed build-up of military forces. As the Patriots and Giants can attest as they prepare for Super Bowl XLII, preparation and execution are critical to the success of any team. Team Guam must continue to prepare and be ready to execute difficult tasks in the coming years and I am confident that we will succeed. Team Guam cannot afford mistakes. We should develop a good game plan and execute it. So Governor, as you watch the Super Bowl on Monday, remember, it is all about preparation and execution.

It is critical for us to work closely with our federal counterparts to ensure that Guam is prepared to take advantage of the opportunities within our reach. For example, one major concern is the capacity of our commercial port. We need to look at ways of partnering with the federal agencies and the carriers to expand our port capacity. I am working with Governor Camacho, Senator James Espaldon, the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to develop a strategy to improve the port's capacity. This strategy will be a model of partnering that can be extended to other areas.

Additionally, I am working with the Armed Services Committee and the Navy to address the issue of water resources on Guam. Beyond the issue of water rates, we want to address water production and distribution in a more logical manner. It is my vision that one day our community will benefit from an integrated water utility system, where the Navy would be a customer and where all of us will benefit from increased efficiencies.

I am working with Chairman Ike Skelton and Chairman Solomon Ortiz of the Armed Services Committee, as well as Chairman Nick Rahall and Chairwoman Donna Christensen of the Natural Resources Committee, to enhance Congressional oversight of the military build-up. Congress held an oversight hearing on Guam in August, the first such hearing in over two decades, to receive community testimony on the impacts of the build-up. Following the hearing, Chairman Skelton visited Guam, and in his speech to the Industry Forum, he stated that this build-up, in order to be successful, must be good for Guam as well as our nation.

The Armed Services Committee will exercise oversight of the funds to be appropriated by Congress and the funds that will be received from Japan for construction of housing and infrastructure on Guam. We must ensure that local labor sources are tapped before looking to foreign workers. To develop our local workforce, we have provided additional resources to the Guam Community College (GCC) for its training programs and I commend GCC and the Guam Contractors Association (GCA) and their partners for ramping up apprenticeship programs.

Concerns expressed by our local leaders about the Japanese funding commitments through special purpose entities are shared by leaders in Congress. We will continue to encourage the Bush Administration to be responsive to the needs of our community in their discussions with Japan so that infrastructure outside the gates is also addressed. And I request that Consul General Tamio Tomino convey to his government our hope that we will have progress in this area for the benefit of our people.

It is time for the partnership between the Government of Guam and the federal government to be enhanced. This means making joint efforts to identify critical gaps in infrastructure including roads, water, wastewater, solid waste and power requirements. There are ongoing discussions between the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO), the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA), and the Government of Guam. These discussions need concrete results. I call for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between federal agencies and the Government of Guam so that we will have a commitment of future federal resources from the Bush Administration that can be honored by a future administration. Unless our needs are included in the President's budget request to Congress, it is very difficult for Congress to add-on these projects in the current budget climate. As you may have seen in the national media, many politicians, particularly the President, attack Congressional add-ons as "earmarks" or as "pork" simply because his Administration did not request it. In fact on Monday the President issued an Executive Order instructing agencies to ignore future earmarks. It is therefore important for the Government of Guam to partner with federal agencies so that our projects are programmed into the President's budget request.

The Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) is slated to publicly release an initial draft of its master plan in March. The most important document, the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is on track to be completed in a year, by January 2009. These will be significant steps. We look forward to these studies as well as to the Government of Guam's own master plan.

I am confident that our leaders, including the Governor, our Senators, and our Mayors are up to the task of ensuring that Guam keeps pace in the years ahead to make this build-up successful. We all want the build-up to be accomplished in an environmentally sensitive and socially responsible manner. The Mayors are working every day to ensure that on a community level, good relationships are formed with the military units that participate in the sister village programs. Mayor Melissa Savares of Dededo, who is the mayor of the largest village and the village that will be a neighbor to the Marines, has shown how good community relations with the military are effectively nurtured. It is the Mayors and Vice Mayors who will have the greatest impact in making this move positive for our community. Mayor Roke Blas and Vice Mayor Robert Hoffman have instituted a Chamorro cultural program that is a great model for cultural preservation. The new President of the Mayors Council, Mayor Pedo Terlaje, whose own village of Yona has formed bonds with the 3rd Marine Division Association, will have a key role in helping the Marines to appreciate our people and our culture and these efforts will help to make the transition to Guam positive. These types of partnerships reaching down to the village level will determine to a large degree our success in achieving our goals.

We have already seen a significant increase in military construction over the past five years, from $74 million in Fiscal Year 2003, to $290 million in Fiscal Year 2008. These funds circulate in our economy and have contributed to our economic rebound. The military construction funds planned for Guam in the years ahead are sure to keep our economy growing, providing jobs for our people well into the future.

Our small businesses are preparing for the opportunities that the build-up will bring. Since my amendment in 2005 extended the Historically Underutilized Business Zone program, "HUBZones," to our entire island, over 142 small businesses are now better positioned to compete for federal contracts.

We have a home-grown innovator who is changing the way we perceive the solution to affordable housing on Guam. Carlos Camacho and his non-profit Micronesia Self-Help Corporation are meeting the low and middle income housing needs of our community. Carlos has leveraged financing through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), made possible by my legislation which was enacted in 2004, to build 100 housing units in Dededo called Ironwood Estates and he has begun construction on another 100 homes. These single family homes have central air conditioning, landscaping and a community center. Carlos, please stand so that we can recognize you for your excellent work.

Partnerships with federal agencies are making a difference all around us. The Northern Community Health Center completed its $1.5 million renovation and the Guam National Guard completed its $4.9 million facility for its Civil Support Team (CST). We are moving forward to build a $5.4 million Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for our veterans.

To stimulate the economy, the President and the Congress are working on plan to provide tax rebates and investment incentives. The House passed legislation this week that provides for federal treasury reimbursement of tax rebates that are to be paid to individuals and families on Guam. Individuals will be eligible for up to $600 in tax rebates and families will be eligible for up to $1,200 in rebates as well as $300 per child. We will work with the Senate Finance Committee to preserve the reimbursements to the Government of Guam for these rebates.

On the legislative front, I will work to ensure that Guam receives its fair share of federal funding for education. Congress continues its work towards reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) which is important to the University of Guam (UOG), and this year, will also be taking up the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Recently Congress directed the minting of a Guam quarter, which along with the Guam stamp issued last summer, brings added attention to our island. I am also working with local advocates to help move legislation to address radiation exposure issues. On these and many other issues, I continue to work with our local leaders and individual citizens on the issues important to our community and I look forward to another year of successful partnerships.

It has been my honor tonight to report to the people of Guam on the many initiatives we are doing on their behalf. As I mentioned earlier, tonight is an especially significant night for me, as it is the anniversary of the passing of my husband, Governor Ricky Bordallo. I learned about public service and dedication from Ricky. I never imagined when I first married him that life would take me down this road. As many of you know, I was a music major in college and I was all set for a very different career path. Well, being married to Ricky meant following a dream and it was my pleasure to be his partner in life and to help him fulfill his vision of what Guam could be. Many of you also had your start with Ricky as your inspiration, and as I look around this Hall, I see familiar faces of those who once served with Governor Bordallo and who have risen to become Senators, Judges, community leaders and successful businessmen and women. Ricky would be proud of all of you. He used to take such pleasure in bringing in new energy to his administration and he gave many of you your first real job.

In closing, I want you to know that it is my deepest honor to serve the people of Guam in this capacity as Guam's Delegate to Congress. I recently finished reading a novel titled, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." Its premise is that we are all connected in ways we would never imagine. We will learn in the afterlife how one's life has influenced another, and how we all determine what our heaven will be. I have reflected on what my heaven will be. It will be reuniting with Ricky and all our loved ones who have preceded us. And my heaven will be Ricky and I serving the people of Guam as we have so loved to do.

I thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you.

Dangkulo na si Yu'os ma'ase, maraming salamat po, thank you, God bless Guam and God bless our great nation, the United States of America.