Hagåtña, Guam – Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero has called the Thirty-Eighth Guam Legislature into its Fifth Special Session on Tuesday, Nov. 25, to act on revised legislation authorizing utilities infrastructure on Lot 5280-3 in Mangilao using federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
In a letter to Speaker Frank F. Blas Jr., the governor said the bill is needed to allow the Guam Power Authority and Guam Waterworks Authority to move forward with power, water and wastewater projects that will support a planned new medical campus in Mangilao and strengthen utilities in the surrounding area.
The measure would exempt specific contracts for design, installation and environmental assessments on Lot 5280-3 from certain procurement requirements in Guam law, while still requiring review by procurement counsel for the General Services Agency.
According to the bill’s findings, the administration set aside $104 million in ARPA funds to begin work on a new public hospital and related infrastructure. Those funds have been obligated and must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026, or risk being forfeited to the federal government.
The governor noted that GHURA has already acquired Lot 5280-3 in Mangilao for the project and that GPA and GWA have initiated procurements for utilities on the site. Lawmakers are told that the upgrades would also improve service and resilience for the broader Mangilao–Barrigada area, which experienced delayed water restoration after Typhoon Mawar.
Leon Guerrero’s letter explains that she initially called for a special session on similar legislation earlier this month but withdrew it after the Superior Court of Guam issued a ruling in a separate GHURA land case. She said her administration then reviewed the decision with GHURA, GPA and GWA and concluded that the property in the court case is “entirely separate and distinct” from the land where the medical campus utilities are being built.
To remove uncertainty, the revised bill specifically identifies the subject property as Lot 5280-3 and states that it is not part of any land under litigation. The governor said this clarification is intended to ensure GPA and GWA can proceed without obstruction and that ARPA funds are spent lawfully and on time.
In a separate special address, Leon Guerrero warned that delay in passing the bill could cost Guam the $104 million in federal funds, increase construction costs and slow improvements to health and utility infrastructure for residents of Mangilao, Barrigada, Chalan Pago and Yona. She urged lawmakers to pass the revised bill “without delay,” saying the cost of inaction is too high.
Under the call, the Legislature is scheduled to convene the special session at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Guam Congress Building for the sole purpose of considering and voting on the proposed legislation.
