The senator’s bills aim to amend current guidelines for making official records available to the tax-paying public.
Bill 215, seeks to shorten the length of response time for a Freedom of Information Act request from four days to two days for public records less than six months old. The measure also shortens the extension period for the same document.
Bill 217 targets government-funded travel, requiring all elected officials, agency heads, board and commission members, judges and justices to post their travel itineraries online at least 24 hours before leaving Guam.
“There should be no secret about officials leaving,” said Tenorio. “People should know that their tax money is going to a just event.”
Bill 216 allows the public to view a government contract worth over $50,000 immediately after is has been signed.
The bill specifies that contracts must be placed on the agency’s Web site within 24 hours after it has been approved.
“Trust comes from communication, and communication must be timely,” Tenorio said, adding that the need for more government accountability became apparent after months of talking with members of the media and local residents who were concerned that government officials may be abusing taxpayer money.
The Republican senator said public access is one of the cornerstones of democracy, and government officials shouldn’t shy away from public scrutiny. “The money spent is taxpayer money,” Tenorio said, adding that residents have the right to commend or criticize how that money is being spent by government agencies.
“We should raise the bar on government transparency, not accept the status quo,” he said.
Tenorio warned that, if the amendment bills are enacted into law, failure to comply with the proposed guidelines would result in heavy fines.
According to the open government law, the director of the non-compliant agency is personally liable to pay the fine if a FOIA request is violated.
