HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Legislature has adopted an amended version of Bill 164-37, despite some senators concerns that the funding source may not get the hospital the $30 million it needs to pay vendors and make repairs.
With 10 ayes, 3 nays and 2 excused votes, Bill 164-37 was duly adopted on Friday evening.
The amendment adopted was introduced by Republican Sen. Frank Blas Jr. and makes it so, if passed into law, at least $30 million dollars would be provided to the Guam Memorial Hospital by using all unappropriated prior year excess general funds in order to pay outstanding vendor payments and perform necessary repairs. It also calls for the Department of Administration to make payments to vendors so there is no need to transfer funds between the agencies.
Sen. Blas’ amendment removes the restriction in the bill which identified that the funding for the hospital would come for Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023.
“As a result of the discussion in the Committee of the Whole … we looked at … the information here and we got ourselves wrapped around whether or not there was monies in FY22 and FY23 that was left over, but there was an entry in the paperwork provided that basically showed FY21 with funds available in excess of $30 million dollars. And so what we want to do to be able to capture that kind of money without being able to touch FY24,” Blas said as he introduced the amendment to the body.
While the amendment garnered enough votes for adoption, not all senators were sure that it would provide the hospital the money it needs.
Sen. Telo Taitague was the first to question if there are any prior year excess funds in the General fund as she pointed out that the detailed spreadsheet of GovGuam finances provided by the Bureau of Budget and Management Research contained conflicting information.
“It’s showing here $1.5 million in the first sheet of any excess revenue from FY21, but if you go further into this spreadsheet it’s showing there’s an excess of $30,000,351 for FY21. It doesn’t show where that $30 million came from,” Sen. Taitague said with concern.
Speaker Therese Terlaje was equally concerned whether FY21 was a viable funding source.
“It’s too bad that we released the panel before anybody asked them whether this is even a viable funding source. Now we are just going to act in the dark again and get accused of phantom appropriations,” Terlaje said.
Ahead of the vote on amended Bill 164-37, the senators under the Committee of the Whole had the opportunity to question those in charge of GovGuam’s finances about available funding and while BBMR Director Lester Carlson provided a “roadmap” to the funding, officials weren’t as forthcoming as some senators had hoped. This left senators a bit confused on how much money GovGuam has from prior years.
“When BBMR and the governor’s fiscal team was down here they told us that the original funding source of the bill which was FY22 excess … was not enough excess to fund anything. They told us there was not 2023 excess because there was no audit,” Terlaje said. “But the funding source in the amendment is now prior year fiscal excess general funds and when I was questioning the fiscal team they were telling us, … every excess balance at the end of the fiscal years is taken and put up unto the fund balance of the next fiscal year. In other words, … those funds don’t exist anymore.”
With Bill 164-37 adopted it will now head to the governor’s desk for signature. If passed into law, GMH should see an additional $20 million in American Rescue Plan funding as committed by the governor for Capital Improvement Projects.
The Guam Memorial Hospital in Tamuning on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Frank San Nicolas/The Guam Daily Post
