Bills aim to ensure timely cancer funding & tighten GVB travel rules

It’s a closer look at how money moves and who it impacts.  From cancer care funding to government travel spending, lawmakers are moving two proposals forward as session continues.

Delays in funding and questions over spending - two issues lawmakers are taking on as session continues at the Guam Congress Building. First, Bill 246, introduced by Senator Telo Taitague, aims to ensure more reliable funding for the Guam Cancer Trust Fund. The fund supports cancer screening, treatment, research, and patient services – programs that depend heavily on consistent and timely access to money already appropriated by the Guam Legislature.

But according to Taitague, that access hasn’t always been guaranteed. She says in past fiscal years, allotments were released late or sporadically, delaying grant cycles, reimbursements, and, in some cases, disrupting services altogether. “In this term, this year – from October until the end of January – they’ve been appropriated $4 million. They’ve only received $48,000," she stated.

Currently, the University of Guam, administrator of the Fund, is exempt from allotment release control by the Bureau of Budget & Management Research.  Bill 246 would extend that same exemption directly to the Guam Cancer Trust Fund itself, allowing it to access funds based on program needs – not broader government cash flow.

The measure builds on a recent law that stabilized how much funding the trust receives. This bill, Senator Taitague says, stabilizes when it arrives.

And while community partners and non-profits have stepped up to help fill funding gaps, relying on their support is not a suitable system. With her fellow lawmakers added as co-sponsors of the bill, it was moved to the Third Reading File. 

Senators are also advancing Bill 279 by Senator Jesse Lujan, which targets oversight of travel spending by the Guam Visitors Bureau. The proposal would require all official GVB travel to be approved by its board of directors before any public funds are used – restoring its former oversight structure.

“This is not a new oversight requirement," Lujan clarified. "It is simply returning the process to how it used to operate where the board, as stewards of public trust, had the responsibility to ensure that taxpayer funds were used wisely and appropriately.”

The measure follows scrutiny over more than $50,000 spent on two off-island tourism events last October. GVB has defended the trips, stating international presence is critical to keeping Guam competitive in the tourism market.

But Lujan says oversight must match the moment. “Meanwhile, businesses in our island are closing their doors, and residents are feeling the economic squeeze. Taxpayers are rightly asking who is ensuring their money is being spent responsibly. This bill provides that assurance," he said.

Under the bill, GVB’s general manager would also be required to submit a post-travel report within five days – detailing costs, participants, and measurable outcomes. Lujan emphasizes he is not opposed to travel, but says transparency is key.

Still, not all lawmakers agree on the approach. Senator Therese Terlaje voiced support for oversight, but cautioned against what she described as shifting standards, noting, “I think I objected at the time to change it to general manager instead of board of directors. It seems to me that accountability and transparency is only applicable depending on whether you like the general manager or you don’t.”

Together, both measures now await further legislative action – one aimed at removing delays in critical care funding, the other at tightening oversight of public dollars.