The Guam Congress Building in Hagåtña is shown Thursday, May 11, 2023.
HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Lawmakers, in a special investigative committee formed to look into the distribution of a fake floor amendment, met officially for the first time Monday, May 8.
The committee remains in the early stages of its processes, with Sen. Chris Barnett, now chair of the committee, telling The Guam Daily Post that the order of business Monday was essentially to select the chairperson. The committee also decided to meet May 15 to look over its rules of engagement.
“That’s what we’re going to do first, to kind of set the tone procedurally for everything else that we’re going to do moving forward,” Barnett said.
Sens. Sabina Perez, Dwayne San Nicolas and Barnett are the Democratic members of the five-person investigative committee. Sens. Frank Blas Jr. and Thomas Fisher are the Republican members.
The investigative committee was created by Resolution 67-37, which allowed the Legislature’s Committee on Rules to set up the panel.
The resolution passed with votes from Sens. Joanne Brown, Chris Duenas, Jesse Lujan, Barnett, Blas, Perez, Fisher and San Nicolas.
Speaker Therese Terlaje, Vice Speaker Tina Muña Barnes and Sens. William Parkinson, Roy Quinata, Joe San Agustin, Amanda Shelton and Telo Taitague voted against passing the resolution.
Taitague is a co-sponsor of the resolution, but expressed concerns about it being placed on the session agenda without prior notice, although the need for that was contested.
Fake amendment
The fake floor amendment stated that funding already allotted for pay raises to teachers and administrators would be “reprogrammed” for the maintenance and facilities of schools. The fake amendment was falsely attributed to Duenas, but was shared online by the Progressive Democrats of Guam.
Julian Janssen, a classified government employee and chapter leader of the Progressive Democrats of Guam, told the Post he received the fake amendment from someone at the central office of the Guam Legislature, and that he believed it to be legitimate at the time.
Another news outlet reported that Janssen heard the amendment came from the central office.
Postings of the fake amendment were taken down, with an apology, after Duenas called attention to it in the session. Duenas then filed a criminal complaint against Janssen, alleging forgery.
Ethics complaint
Shortly after the vote on the resolution, Fisher filed an ethics complaint against Parkinson over an alleged conflict in connection with the Progressive Democrats of Guam. Fisher said Parkinson is an officer of the group and did not disclose his relationship or recuse himself from voting on Resolution 67-37.
Parkinson said that he was a member of the Progressive Democrats of Guam, but has not been an active member for several years, calling Fisher’s complaint frivolous and “guilt by association.”
Fisher’s complaint was ultimately sent to Barnett, who served as chair of the legislative ethics committee at the time the complaint was made. Barnett told the Post that Fisher’s complaint is being entertained by the committee.
