Bordallo to Introduce Organic Act Reform Bill

Hagåtña, Guam – Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today announced her efforts to amend the Organic Act of Guam to provide for election reform for local offices. As she proposed in her Congressional address in March, Congresswoman Bordallo’s bill amends the Organic Act of Guam to prohibit salary changes for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Guam senators until an intervening election of the Legislature has passed. This provision mirrors the 27th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and conforms to Resolution 2-33, which was introduced by Senator Mike San Nicolas and was adopted by the Guam Legislature on February 20, 2015.  

Congresswoman Bordallo’s bill also removes the arbitrary federal requirement for candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Guam senator and places the authority to set residency requirements for these offices with local law. Congresswoman Bordallo believes that residency requirements for local elected offices should be governed by local law and not the federal government.

Congresswoman Bordallo will introduce this bill when she returns to Washington, D.C. next week as the House of Representatives reconvenes.

“The bill I will introduce next week will amend the Organic Act to prohibit changes to salaries for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Senators until after a general election takes place. Over the past several months our community has debated pay raises for these elected officials and the process that was used to enact them. While I believe that these issues are up to local policymakers, and ultimately the people of Guam to decide, the Organic Act should provide safeguards on this issue that will prevent divisiveness in our community. The amendment I am introducing builds on current efforts in the Legislature to rectify this matter and is consistent with the Legislature’s Resolution 2-33, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority of senators. This provision is also similar to the 27th Amendment to the Constitution that prohibits Members of Congress from increasing their pay until after an intervening election.

“Additionally the bill I am introducing will make it easier for individuals to participate in Guam elections by removing the federally-mandated five-year residency requirement for individuals to run for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Senator. This requirement places an arbitrarily strict condition on qualifying to run for these offices, and I believe that we should allow for more opportunities to participate in our government and serve in public office. Placing a federal mandate that makes it more difficult for individuals to enter public service ignores Guam’s political maturity and is contrary to the ideals of our representative democracy. These decisions should be made by local policymakers and the people of Guam, not the U.S. Congress. The bill also puts Guam on equal footing with most of America, where state laws, not federal mandates, govern who can run for local elected offices.

“Moving forward, I hope that these amendments to our Organic Act will help encourage more participation in our government and provide greater accountability for our elected officials. I look forward to garnering support from local leaders so that we can present a unified ‘One Guam’ approach to this bill.”