By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

H.R. 1595, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, is again being considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington, D.C. along with nine other bills.
This is the first stop for the bill on its way through the legislative process in the 110th Congress.
This version of H.R. 1595 was introduced into the 110th Congress by Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo on March 20, 2007. It is the same version of the bill that was prepared to go to the House floor last year but never made it there before adjournment of the 109th Congress.
“This is an important step in the legislative process. Much more work remains to get this bill to the House floor and then to the Senate,” Bordallo said in a statement.
The bill would authorize payment of claims to surviving spouses and children of those who died during the occupation; to survivors of the occupation who suffered injuries, who were forced to labor, and who were interned; and to surviving spouses and children of those who survived the occupation but have since passed away.
According to Bordallo, there are no changes in terms of the proposed claim amounts and categories of claimants from the bill that was reported out of the House Committee on Resources and the House Committee on the Judiciary in the 109th Congress.
Bordallo said she is working with House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall of West Virginia and Ranking Member Don Young of Alaska to advance the bill through the legislative process.
The bill is supported by Chairwoman Donna Christian-Christensen and Ranking Member Luis Fortuño of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs.
“The budget issues are a concern for some members and I am working closely with the House leadership to address this concern,” Bordallo said.