On the floor, senators tackled three bills vetoed by Governor Lou Leon Guerrero during their last session. 

First, Bill 27 by Senator William Parkinson would legalize the ownership and use of firearm suppressors.

He argued the devices are misunderstood by the general public and help responsible gun owners protect their hearing.

“A suppressor itself is never going to hurt anybody. It has no will of its own. It has no properties to do any of that. Like all tools, it can be good or bad depending on the person using it,” said Sen. Will Parkinson. 

Opponents cited the Governor’s veto message itself, which references strong concerns from educators and the Guam Police Department about the risk of mass shootings going undetected until it’s too late. 

Senator Telo Taitague attempted to scale the measure’s bandwidth to law enforcement-only use, but her amendment failed and the bill was moved to the voting file for veto override.

Bill 54, another vetoed bill authored by Senator Taitague, would update Guam’s election laws to improve voter registration and ballot handling procedures.

“The legislation does not favor a party or a political agenda. It favors the people,” added Sen. Taitague. 

That bill also advanced for potential override, along with Bill 88, aiming to streamline vehicle title transfers and taxation.

Turning to their newest measures, lawmakers spoke extensively on Bill 139, an act to establish a “foster care bill of rights”, authored by Senator Shelly Calvo.

It would codify the legal protections for children in foster care and extends support for young adults aging out of the system.

“Aging out of foster care should not mean aging out of support,” added Sen. Calvo. 

Other bills clearing the second reading file include measures to codify the criminal justice automation commission, correct solar hvac contractors sub-classifications licensing definitions, and waive veterans’ license plate fees.

The legislature is expected to resume debate and possible override votes on these vetoed bills later this week.