Blas Amendment Mires Pay Adjustments with Red Tape, Funding Held Back by Bureaucracy

The executive and judicial branches of the government of Guam have both been able to pay new General Pay Plan (GPP) rates to all employees for the pay period that ended on April 22, 2023. 

However, the Guam Legislature mandated in P.L. 37-3 that the implementation of the act, including its appropriation of funds for the new GPP rates, could only become effective when plans to pay annual increments, outstanding merit bonuses from the prior Administration, and another round of grants under Local Employers’ Assistance Program (LEAP) were formally submitted to the Legislature–an amendment proffered by Senator Frank Blas, Jr. The amendment was made despite the fact that the LEAP program, which is a government subsidy for private businesses, has nothing to do with regularly due pay adjustments to employees, including those at GDOE.

Unfortunately, these restrictions have mired the process in more unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, ultimately hurting the good, hard-working people at DOE.

Despite this mandate for more bureaucracy, the Department of Administration (DOA) is working diligently to submit the plans required by Section 10 of the public law, which will permit allotted funds to be transferred to GDOE so it can make the necessary payments. These plans will be submitted shortly as we work with GDOE on implementing their new pay scales.

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