By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

MOST residents of Guam may not be aware that elected officials and those wanting to run for public office are not required to get a police or court clearance.
Sen. Jesse A. Lujan, R-Tamuning, introduced Bill 61 that seeks to require any individual wanting to run for an elected office to disclose information pertaining to any felony convictions.
Policy analyst for Lujan, Darryl Taggerty, said the federal law that establishes the highest elected official positions states that felonies have to be disclosed when seeking a seat in an elected office.
“When they made the Guam Election Commission rules for elected positions, all they ask for is financial disclosure. So what Sen. Lujan is doing is adding felony conviction disclosures to the current part of the law that only deals with financial disclosures,” Taggerty told Variety.
The measure would also require individuals appointed to a Government of Guam position by the governor of Guam to disclose, if any, felony convictions.
“It is therefore the intent of this Legislature to promote the highest standards in public leadership by requiring candidates, appointees and other senior office holders to disclose any felony conviction in their personal history as a matter of public record,” reads Bill 61.
If enacted into law, the measure requires that every April 22, a written report containing the financial information of officials would have to be submitted along with a “written report itemizing any and all felony convictions whether public or under seal, that have not been dismissed upon successful appeal, vacated by a court, or cleared by a grant of executive pardon.”
If the official does not file his felony conviction disclosure statement, he may be found guilty of third-degree felony, which is punishable with jail time of no less than 90 days and no more than three years. The official would also have to pay a fine of $5,000 for each felony conviction they do not report.
Candidates are currently required to post information about themselves through an affidavit, and becomes public information.
“The senator thought it was ridiculous that it wasn’t included in the existing law to let the public know if a candidate has a felony conviction. All candidates and incumbents running for office may have to do this,” Taggerty said.