Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has written Sen. James Moylan stating that the Guam Contractors License Board already has sufficient membership to operate and there is no need to call for a special session to address GCLB licenses.
“Although it may be a few more weeks before all my appointments to GCLB have been confirmed, I expect GCLB will be able to quickly address the applications in its upcoming meetings. Calling the Legislature into special session or exercising my power to issue executive orders will not provide the swift relief that the license applicants need,” Leon Guerrero wrote.
Moylan had asked the governor to consider asking for a special session on a bill that the senator was drafting or issue an executive order that would address concerns on the nearly 700 pending licenses, inclusive of renewals, that were reportedly in a standstill with the GCLB because the board has been unable to attain a quorum.
Without the issuance of a license, Moylan said these businesses are unable to proceed with their objectives, hence creating economic deficiencies.
But the governor stated in her letter that of the nearly 700 pending license applications that Moylan alluded to, less than 10 percent are new applications.
“This means that the remainder are applications for renewal. If those applying for renewal are in good standing, then they may rely on the proper filing of their application to continue operation for the ensuing fiscal year. This is allowed pursuant to the existing laws, rules, and regulations,” the governor wrote.
Leon Guerrero assured that GCLB will prioritize the remaining 10 percent to ensure immediate review, adding that a more effective approach would be to allow GCLB executive director Buddy Orsini to proceed as he had previously planned.
“I understand that the executive director intends on asking GCLB to temporarily delegate its powers to him so that he may grant provisional licenses to those applying for new licenses. I assure you that executive director Orsini’s plans have been well thought out and will provide the quickest relief for the affected contractors,” the governor said.
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