Just a day after the bill's passage, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has already signed Bill 280-37 into law. The measure appropriates $415,000 from fiscal year 2024 general fund excess to the Guam Election Commission for the 2024 primary election.
This funding is intended to cover expenses, including precinct official stipends, election day ballot security and transportation, equipment rental and the leasing of the 2024 Early Voting Center, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero stated in her enactment letter. However, the governor also stated that alternative funding could have been available for the appropriation, and noted that the Guam Legislature did raise questions about the timing of the funding request.
"Speaker (Therese) Terlaje stated, 'I'm asking all these questions because it's awkward to me that we are days ahead of the primary, and we are dealing with a bill to fund a primary.' I share this same concern, and in the future, the funding for all of Guam's elections can be provided in a more timely fashion," Leon Guerrero wrote. "Nonetheless, I will not leave an election unfunded," the governor added, before concluding that she would be signing the measure into law.
The primary election will take place on Aug. 3. Lawmakers ended session on Wednesday, passing nearly two dozen bills.
Bill 280 was one of three funding measures passed. Also passed were Bill 264-37, appropriating $5 million for the construction of the Nåftan Mañaina-ta Shrine; and Bill 296-37, appropriating more than $2.4 m.
