Legislature of Guam

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Legislature of Guam

Sealofguam.svg.png
General information
Type:   Unicameral
Term limits:   None
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Structure
Members:  15
Length of term:   2 years
Authority:   The Organic Act of Guam
Salary:   $65,000
Meeting place:
Guam Legislature Building.jpg

The Legislature of Guam forms the legislative branch of the Guam government; it is the unicameral legislature of Guam. The body is composed of fifteen senators that are elected at large.

Each member represents an average of 10,255 residents as of the 2020 Census.[1]

Guam's senators serve without term limits for two-year terms.[2]

The legislative power and authority of the Legislature of Guam was created by The Organic Act of Guam. Signed by President Harry S. Truman (D) in 1950, the Organic Act established a civilian territorial government in Guam with executive, legislative, and judicial branches.[3]

  • All 15 of the chamber's seats were up for election in 2022.
  • All 15 of the chamber's seats were up for election in 2020. The Democratic majority in the chamber decreased by two seats. The chamber went from 10-5 to 8-7. For more information about the partisan affiliations of the members, please click here.

    • This page contains the following information on the Legislature of Guam.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Legislature of Guam as of March 2025:

    Party As of March 2025
         Democratic Party 6
         Republican Party 9
         Independent 0
         Vacancy 0
    Total 15


    Members

    Leadership

    The presiding officer of the Legislature is the speaker.[4]

    Leadership and members


    Office Name Party Date assumed office
    Guam Senate Vicente Ada Republican January 6, 2025
    Guam Senate Joe San Agustin Democratic
    Guam Senate Darrel Barnett Democratic January 2, 2023
    Guam Senate Frank Blas Jr. Republican January 4, 2021
    Guam Senate Vincent Borja Republican January 6, 2025
    Guam Senate Shelly Calvo Republican January 6, 2025
    Guam Senate Christopher Duenas Republican January 4, 2021
    Guam Senate Eulogio Gumataotao Republican January 6, 2025
    Guam Senate Jesse Lujan Republican January 2, 2023
    Guam Senate Tina Muña Barnes Democratic 2019
    Guam Senate William Parkinson Democratic January 2, 2023
    Guam Senate Sabina Flores Perez Democratic
    Guam Senate Sabrina Salas Matanane Republican January 6, 2025
    Guam Senate Telo Taitague Republican
    Guam Senate Therese Terlaje Democratic


    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

    As of 2023, members of the Legislature of Guam received an annual salary capped at $55,307 per lawmaker, except for the speaker, who received $60,860.[5]

    Swearing in dates

    Guam legislators assume office the first Monday in January following the November election.[6]

    Membership qualifications

    To be eligible to serve in the Legislature of Guam, a candidate must be:[7]

    • A United States citizen.
    • At least 25 years of age.
    • A resident of Guam for at least five years prior to the election.

    The candidate must not have been convicted of a felony or of a crime involving moral turpitude.

    Elections by year

    Guam senators serve two-year terms and are up for election every two years. Guam holds elections for its legislatures in even-numbered years.

    2026

    See also: Guam Legislature elections, 2026

    Elections for the Guam Legislature will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

    2024

    See also: Guam Legislature elections, 2024

    Elections for the office of Guam Legislature took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2024. The general runoff was November 19, 2024. The filing deadline was May 3, 2024.

    2022

    See also: Guam Legislature elections, 2022

    Elections for the office of Guam Legislature took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 27, 2022. The filing deadline was June 28, 2022.

    In the 2022 elections, the Democratic majority increased and the Republican minority decreased from 8-7 to 9-6.

    Guam Legislature
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 8 9
         Republican Party 7 6
    Total 15 15

    2020

    See also: Guam Legislature elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Legislature of Guam were held in Guam on November 3, 2020. The primary election was on August 29, 2020. A total of 15 seats were up for election.

    In the 2020 elections, the Democratic majority decreased and the Republican minority increased from 10-5 to 8-7.

    Legislature of Guam
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 10 8
         Republican Party 5 7
         Vacancy 0 0
    Total 15 15

    2018

    Elections for the office of Legislature of Guam were held in Guam on November 6, 2018. The primary election was on August 25, 2018. A total of 15 seats were up for election.

    2016

    Elections for the office of Legislature of Guam were held in Guam on November 8, 2016. The primary election was on August 27, 2016. A total of 15 seats were up for election.

    2014

    Elections for the office of Legislature of Guam were held in Guam on November 4, 2014. The primary election was on August 30, 2014. A total of 15 seats were up for election.

    2012

    Elections for the office of Legislature of Guam were held in Guam on November 6, 2012. A total of 15 seats were up for election.

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    According to Chapter 13 of Title 3 of the Guam Code Annotated, the Guam Election Commission shall call for and conduct a special election on the Saturday on or about 60 days of the vacancy occurring. A special election will be held when one or more vacancies occur eight months prior to the next general election.[8]

    Sessions

    Chapter 1 of Title 2 of the Guam Annotated Code establishes when the Legislature of Guam is to be in session. The Guam Annotated Code states that the Legislature will meet annually commencing on the first Monday in January.[9]

    Chapter 8A of Title 48, Sub-chapter III of the U.S. Code contains the rules for convening special sessions of the legislature. Section §1423h allows a special session to be called by the governor of Guam at any time, when the governor feels the public interest may require it.[10]

    Committees

    The Legislature of Guam has 10 committees:

    • The Committee on Rules
    • The Committee on Education, Public Safety and the Arts
    • The Committee on General Government Operations and Appropriations
    • The Committee on Fire, Agriculture, Power and Energy Utilities, Public Transit, Unemployment Insurance and Universal Health Insurance
    • The Committee on Maritime Transportation, Air Transportation, Parks, Tourism, Higher Education and the Advancement of Women, Youth, and Senior Citizens
    • The Committee on Infrastructure, Economic Development, Simon Sanchez High School, Disability Services, Self-Determination and Historic Preservation, Housing, Public Accountability, and the Guam Buildup
    • The Committee on Federal, Foreign & Regional Affairs, Innovation & Development, Human Resources & Public Libraries
    • The Committee on Emergency Response, Military and Veteran Affairs, Border Safety and Mayors Council
    • The Committee on Environment, Revenue and Taxation, Labor, Procurement, and Statistics, Research, and Planning
    • The Committee on Health, Land, Justice, and Culture[11]

    Role in the Guam Constitution

    Guam does not have a constitution.

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ U.S. Census, "Population of Guam: 2010 and 2020," accessed August 9, 2023
    2. ↑ Supreme Court of Guam, "Chapter 1 of Title 2- The Legislature," accessed August 9, 2023(Referenced Statute §1105)
    3. ↑ Unified Courts of Guam, "The Organic Act of Guam," accessed August 9, 2023
    4. ↑ Guam Legislature, "The Thirty-Second Guam Legislature: Standing Rules," accessed August 9, 2023(Section 2.01)
    5. ↑ The Guam Daily Post, "Legislative payroll cost: $6M," accessed August 9, 2023
    6. ↑ Supreme Court of Guam, "Title 2-Legislature," accessed August 9, 2023(Referenced Statute §1105)
    7. ↑ Cornell University Law School, "48 U.S. Code § 1423f - Qualifications of members," accessed August 9, 2023(Title 48, Chapter 8A, Subchapter III, Referenced Statute §1423f)
    8. ↑ Supreme Court of Guam, "Title 3: Elections, Chapter 13-Special Elections," accessed August 9, 2023(Referenced Statute §13103)
    9. ↑ Supreme Court of Guam, "Chapter 1 of Title 2- The Legislature," accessed August 9, 2023(Referenced Statute §1118)
    10. ↑ Cornell University Law School, "48 U.S. Code § 1423h - Regular and special sessions," accessed August 9, 2023(Referenced Statute §1423h)
    11. ↑ Guam Legislature, "Committees," accessed August 25, 2020
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