Dwayne San Nicolas – the senator who broke the legislative deadlock Frank Blas, Jr. created on where to build a new hospital – said he voted for the bill selecting Ypao Point as the location of the next hospital in the best interest of Guamanians. He said it’s now up to the governor to stop the delay on development.
The legislature for the past several months has wrestled with two legislative options on where to authorize Lou Leon Guerrero to build a hospital. The first option – Bill No. 184-37 – was the governor’s preferred site: Adacao, Mangilao. The second – Bill No. 185-37 – is Chris Barnett’s legislation mandating the hospital be built at Ypao Point, Tamuning by default.
Both bills finally hit the floor of the legislature in January, but neither passed because Mr. Blas refused to vote for either one. The legislature reconsidered the bills last Friday, with Mr. Blas continuing to vote for neither, but Mr. San Nicolas voting for both, giving Mr. Barnett’s bill the eighth vote out of 15 senators needed to pass the bill.
Ms. Leon Guerrero’s office has promised the governor will veto the bill. There are no other options on the table, which means if the governor vetoes the bill and the legislature cannot override her veto, hospital development will be indefinitely delayed.
Here is Mr. San Nicolas’ full statement on the matter:
“My vote on Bill 185-37 was to benefit the people of Guam. We need a new hospital now. After the January Session concluded, the Office of the Governor of Guam issued a release to the media last month, which stated, ‘The Guam Legislature decided absolutely nothing regarding the location of a new hospital and medical complex for the People of Guam, leaving many to wonder what is next. … Now for the second time, the legislature has blocked our efforts to build a new medical complex—this time by deciding to do absolutely nothing.’ On Friday, Feb. 24, I voted for both competing bills that would determine the location of a new public hospital for the island. I not only voted in support of Bill 185-37, but also Bill 184-37, which failed to pass this body. I voted for Bill 185 because we need a new hospital. I voted for Bill 185 for the people of Guam. I voted for Bill 185 so that we can get the employees of the Guam Memorial Hospital out of the deteriorating Tamuning facility that has many issues. It’s up to the governor now to act on what we the legislators have put before her. Today, we are a step closer to getting this much needed new hospital than we were last week. We can’t delay the construction of a new hospital any further.”
1 Comments
Alan San Nicolas
02/27/2024 at 6:08 AM
Basta ma na annok I aguaguat miyu. Yanggen man inetnon, ma daña hamyu seimpre magong I chenot ni un amot. Lao yanggen katket na amot, ni nai’an na u magong. AFAÑELOS ESTA I OTRU BIRADA