Senators went into the emergency session Monday to pass a bill to extend the lifting of the liquid fuels tax and hold down pump prices for another six months.

But Democrats also managed to slip in several other last-minute typhoon recovery spending measures, drawing protests from Republicans.

Minority lawmakers criticized calling session for one bill and adding on several others without the benefit of a public hearing or deliberation with the relevant agencies.

They were especially critical of Sen. Chris Barnett's bill allowing emergency procurement authority for the Guam Department of Education to continue for up to 120 days after the public emergency ends.

Barnett wants as many schools health inspected and ready ahead of the new term which starts on Aug. 9.

But Republicans Joanne Brown and Chris Duenas argued against giving up that much discretion, especially without providing a final chance to question GDOE.

"You want us to just open the floodgate and hey everythings an emergency procurement, let's just get on the bandwagon," Brown said. "I don't know how seeing the track record somehow's going to improve because we simply remove the standards. Yet we're gonna go back and tell them don't worry about meeting your responsibility and obligations and performing your job effectively, we'll just get rid of the requirements, because it's an emergency. And somehow we just think it's gonna, cause I will be there Mr. Chair, I will be there at your hearings, and we're gonna find out what doesn't get resolved in the 120 days you know before Cinderella's pumpkin disappears and there's no prince to come along and rescue her."

Duenas chimed in.

"So we have a right to question these things Madame Speaker and we have a right to object to things and decide whether we're gonna vote on a bill one way or the other," he said. "Not because we don't believe or none of us want to help, but when you call a session for one bill and it turns into this, there's gonna be a couple of them that you're gonna disagree with at some point."

But bill sponsor Barnett pushed back.

"Our kids deserve this, I don't wanna see it kicked down the road for another year, and then after that another year, and then another year," he said. "There are safeguards in place for emergency procurement. There are whistleblowers, you know how many times an employee of the Guam Department of Education or any other agency sends me a message? Hey senator check this out. I don't wanna cover anything up, but I also don't want to bury our kids' future because we are in an emergency. This typhoon came and landed right smack dab in our efforts to comply with Public Law 37-4. That's why this bill is on this agenda."

The bill passed by a vote of 8 to 5, strictly along party lines.

Two members were absent.