HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Office of the Governor is calling on lawmakers to uphold the veto on Bill 30-37, the measure that would prohibit employment in the government of Guam for individuals convicted of official misconduct.
Lawmakers added the bill to the voting file Thursday for a possible override on Friday. Bill 30 passed in January but was vetoed by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero over concerns that it may be misinterpreted to apply retroactively and possibly impact classified employees, who enjoy certain protections under local law and the Organic Act of Guam.
On Thursday morning, Sen. Joanne Brown, the bill’s main sponsor, moved to placed Bill 30 onto the voting file for an override vote this session. She stated on the session floor that she had discussed the bill’s language with legal counsel before its introduction and added that there isn’t any specific language that makes Bill 30 retroactive.
No objections were lodged against Brown’s motion.
By the afternoon, the governor’s office published a release stating Bill 30 won’t apply to elected officials and could burden taxpayers due to potential lawsuits.
“Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero vetoed Bill 30 because it is poorly drafted legislation that may cost taxpayers millions of dollars in future litigation. Regardless of what some senators may think about specific government employees in Guam, classified employees who were hired on the basis of merit and in good faith are entitled to certain Organic Act and Constitutional protections,” the release stated.
“They cannot be denied these rights because of someone’s bitter political agenda. It’s unfair to change the rules for hiring individuals after they’ve been legally hired in good faith – especially when changing the rules after they were hired leads to their termination,” the release added.
The governor’s office stated in the release that Bill 30 also creates a double standard for elected officials.
“If a classified employee is convicted of official misconduct (a misdemeanor), they would lose their job. Under Bill 30, the bill’s author could be convicted of the same thing and continue to run for public office because elected officials can run for office provided that they are not convicted of a felony,” the governor’s office stated before calling on the Guam Legislature to uphold the veto.
