Terlaje bill would require legislative approval for federal land subleases over 5 years, GEDA administrator testifies against it

Senators heard testimony last night on a bill that would require legislative approval for any Government of Guam lease or sublease of federal land for a term of more than five years.

That means senators would have to approve the proposed 99-year lease for the proposed medical campus at Eagles Field in Mangilao.

The sponsor of the bill is Speaker Therese Terlaje.

"I especially do not want to see entering into leases as part of, with the federal government, as a way of negating our decades-long commitment to requesting and the process that's been established to requesting excess land to be returned and being very firm about that and pretty much putting the pressure on them to return these lands," she said. 

Guam Economic Development Authority Administrator Melanie Mendiola testified against the measure saying setting a five-year limit on leases discourages investment.