From a sea of applicants still waiting for a lease, unpaid leases, ‘questionable commercial deals’, an investigation by the Attorney General, and a federal lawsuit, the Chamorro Land Trust Commission has faced their share of controversy throughout the years..

“They really are fixing the plane while flying it,” said Speaker Therese Terlaje.

Topping the multitude of concerns today, even those who were able to get a lease nearly 30 years ago, still haven’t been able to build their homes.

“These lands do not have infrastructure. we can issue all the leases we want, but if we don’t make infrastructure available, the land will sit idle or people will live in substandard conditions,” said Terlaje.

Terljae’s Bill 288 which would expand CLTC efforts to provide that infrastructure was up for discussion during a session on Wednesday.

The bill seeks to authorize the CLTC to secure infrastructure funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Substantially Underserved Trust Area, or SUTA, initiative, utilizing proceeds from the Chamorro Land Trust survey and infrastructure fund.

The measure also received support from senators like Sen. Chris Duenas, who said, “It’s kind of inconceivable that we would issue these leases without the basics.”

“Tåya hånom, tåya sewer, tåya elektrisidå,” said Sen. Roy Quinata.

Vice-Speaker Tina Muna Barnes also commented on the measure, saying, “They have been waiting for years.”

Though some like Senators Joanne Brown and Roy Quinata also pointed the finger to CLTC management.

“The list is long of abuse at the CLTC. People are too busy, like I said, they’re hands are all over the cookie jar. And they’re not ensuring that these resources are going to the very people they were intended to serve,” said Sen. Brown.

“I’m very much an advocate of CHamoru Land Trust, but there are a lot of questionable operations and leases out there,” said Sen. Quinata.

Lawmakers also discussed Terlaje’s Bill 246 which would allow the CLTC to process the next lease applicant when an applicant is unable to provide sufficient proof.