HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Judiciary of Guam request for a $41.4 million budget for the next fiscal year was approved by the Legislature, which is still considering an overall spending bill for the government of Guam.
On Thursday, the 37th Guam Legislature discussed the Judiciary of Guam budget request for the 2024 fiscal year.
Around noon the same day, the Judicial Council of Guam met for its monthly meeting and Supreme Court of Guam Chief Justice Robert Torres stated the request for $41.4 million was approved during budget session.
According to Post files, the amount requested for 2024 was a $4.5 million jump from last year and can be attributed to the update of the general pay plan, which gives a 22% pay raise to government employees, as well as a law enforcement pay plan.
Torres further explained the $41.4 million was “not entirely the request of the budget” considering below-the-line items included funds for electronic monitoring and the Guam Criminal Law and Procedure Review Commission.
In addition, Torres mentioned Vice Speaker Tina Muña Barnes amended the budget request to allow the Judiciary to allow a lapse of funds not spent last year to carry over into the 2024 fiscal year.
Session
The Judiciary of Guam was one of the few agencies over the past months that was unable to formally present its budget to the Legislature, however, Torres stated in the July council meeting that efforts had been made to present the budget to senators individually or in small groups.
However, the Judiciary’s budget still had a lengthy discussion among the senators after Barnes proposed her amendment, which eventually was passed and allowed $1.9 million in unexpended funds to lapse to the next fiscal year.
The funds are expected to be used for typhoon recovery, including replacing a decades-old generator, and won’t be spent until the start of the next fiscal year, Barnes said.
Upon motioning to pass the amendment, two amendments to the amendment were proposed, including one by Sen. Frank Blas Jr. and co-sponsored by Sen. Telo Taitague to ensure the Judiciary reports by Aug. 31 the amount of the lapsed funds and how they will be utilized.
The amendment to Barnes’ amendment subsequently passed.
Another amendment came from Sen. Chris Barnett, who attempted to have the amount, rather than be lapsed into the Judiciary’s budget for the next fiscal year, be used for the Guam Department of Education, which is short between $20 million and $30 million in its budget.
Budget committee Chair Sen. Joe San Agustin said Barnett’s motion was out of order due to GDOE’s budget already being closed and the fact that the shift of funds was not discussed.
“When you look at the courts, I mean let’s just be real, they’re balling out … they’re doing much better than the schools,” Barnett said. “With all due respect, I know you’re ruling me out of order, but I’m just going to say that this isn’t the last time you’re going to see this amendment,”
Barnett then withdrew the motion.
The main entrance to the Guam Judicial Center in Hagåtña is shown May 31, 2023.
