By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

MANY government of Guam agencies are still not submitting financial reports as required by law, the Office of the Public Auditor reported yesterday.
The majority of these reports were due by a specific date to avoid a 5 percent “deappropriation” penalty for entities funded by the General Fund or a payment penalty for autonomous entities.
Based on OPA’s review covering the first quarter of fiscal year 2007, agencies were inconsistent in the submission of their general and special reports and, more often than not, failed to meet all three reporting conditions.
The most common unmet requirement was the submission of an electronic version of the report to the Legislature and OPA.
For the quarterly financial reports, OPA said only 10 entities had complied with all three reporting conditions by the Jan. 31 report due date or by the Feb. 15 grace period.
The 10 entities in full compliance include the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority, the Council on the Arts and Humanities, the Guam Waterworks Authority, the Department of Land Management, the Judiciary of Guam, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Mayors Council of Guam, the Guam Election Commission, and the Public Defender Service Corporation.
OPA said there are 46 entities that may be subject to deappropriation for non-compliance with the quarterly financial report requirement.
Of these, seven entities met all three reporting conditions but only after the grace period, while 34 entities met only two of the three reporting conditions and four met only one condition.
The Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority did not submit any report at all.
Public Law 28-68 requires the submission of quarter financial reports by various government of Guam entities.