NEWS: Senators, DO NOT BE CONFUSED as to what Bill 245 proposes

While in the Committee of the Whole, Senator Telena Nelson and Vice Speaker Therese Terlaje questioned the fiscal team on why a 2% increase is needed while still requiring the Department of Education (DOE) to cut $18 million dollars from their current budget.

To be clear – with the implementation of the 2% increase, the Government of Guam can continue operations as normal under their originally approved fiscal year 2018 budgets.

The Governor’s bill provides the Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH) a dedicated funding source, a temporary bridge through federal tax cuts, and funds the Department of Education’s capital improvements.

Passing a bill that does not address a temporary 2% increase will fail to fund government operations and have implications on both the government and the economy.