An emergency session underway this week. And just three weeks shy of Guam Department of Education students set to return to class. It's a return that won't be the same for all GDOE students.

Now, lawmakers are scrambling - taking school and health leaders away from the work that has yet to happen out the field. And instead questioning them over a proposal that if passed could speed up the process and possibly bring more hires to GDOE.

It was an effort made in the hopes of expediting the reopening of Guam Department of Education schools, resulting in yet another delay. Not long into this morning’s call for an emergency session, the legislature quickly resolving into the Committee of the Whole, as lawmakers objected to Speaker Therese Terlaje’s multi-pronged Bill 156.

“We came into Committee of the Whole, notwithstanding the rules. There are no rules to go into the committee of the whole for non-appropriation bills, so we are here, notwithstanding the rules" said the speaker. Senator Frank Blas, Jr. said, “I made that motion. I never said notwithstanding, you said it. I didn’t; I made that motion."

Terlaje added, “Well, there is no rule to allow us to go into the Committee of the Whole for non-appropriation bills, so we are here, and we did accommodate, with Blas then saying, “No, Madam Chair, don’t put words in my mouth, Madam Chair. I did not make the motion notwithstanding.”

“Senator, you are out of order!" the speaker admonished, with Blas saying, “I am not out of order; you are out of order, Madam Chair.”

“You are out of order!” she repeated.

Blas, the minority leader, making the motion, calling the measure a goulash of different subjects in violation of standing rules, saying Guam DOE and Public Health needed to be included in the conversation.

But the speaker arguing that her bill, which would expedite the review by the Public Health director of GDOE Sanitary Variance Applications, increase Guam DOE's small purchase orders, detail additional inspectors, and temporarily hire GovGuam inspectors, are requests from Guam DOE and Public Health.

“These all came at their request. We’ve heard from them after hearing after hearing, and phone calls—and this is their request," the speaker said.

Nevertheless, Guam DOE officials engaging in yet another conversation on how legislation, like Bill 156, might aid the process of reopening schools. GDOE deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction Joe Sanchez said, “The one area that this bill does really help is the variance section. Because if we get the top 8, and I think that in discussion with a lot of folks if these top eight variances are approved, the majority, if not all of the schools, will pass.”

Fresh on the job, GDOE superintendent Dr. Kenneth Swanson added the proposal is a plus for his agency, saying, "The other part of the bill that speaks to the procurement adjustments will make it possible for us to break the work into smaller bites so we can issue a contract for one school to do one particular set of work, for example, plumping renovation, and that brings a dollar coast in under the threshold that could get us into good shape quickly. And also use the money that we have aside from the recovery COVID that has to be obligated anyway so we can spend that more effectively, with the proposed language.”

Francine Salas, acting chief environmental public health officer sharing with senators the status of the school inspections, said, "So, our teams are ready at three a week, with Bill 156, and I believe the governor has the authority to bring on our transfer some former inspectors into Public Health to assist us, and we could increase our team composition to maybe five teams, and perhaps we could do five schools a week.”

Salas adds Public Health would not turn away any additional help; it would take a while to train inspectors from other agencies without knowledge of how Public Health conducts inspections.

Meanwhile, the definition of variances was discussed at length, with Salas confirming only one district-wide variance for ceiling tiles has been granted to GDOE from Public Health to date.

Session recessed until 11am tomorrow.