Bill 330 has public hearing

by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - A bill that would de-appropriate any budget savings realized through the Executive Branch's reorganization efforts went up for a public hearing Wednesday evening. Bill 330 would have those funds go towards the General Fund deficit, and would require the governor to submit quarterly reports on cost avoidances.

The bill's author Senator Rory Respicio states, "The legislature has monitored the governor's actions over the last ten months as he asks for our trust and speaks of transparency and the reorganization of our government for savings purposes," said Respicio. "So any savings or cost avoidances, in most cases because of GovGuam's perennial deficit, should be used to shrink the operating cost of that affected department or agency, and should also result in a corresponding decrease in the overall operating budget for the entire government. It would not make sense for some entities to lose their funding in the name of saving only to see the money used to increase the budgets of other departments or agencies."

Bill 329 was also discussed during the hearing. The measure would remove the requirement for employers of private security officers who do not possess firearms while on duty to obtain liability insurance coverage.