Sen. Telo Taitague and seven other lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish fines for department and agency heads should they fail to timely submit financial or program information necessary for the Office of Public Accountability to carry out its duties and functions.
“My colleagues and I were forced to pass the 2024 Budget Act without the information contained in the final FY 22 audit because directors repeatedly failed to submit their financial records to the auditing team in a timely manner,” Taitague stated in a press release.
“Public Auditor (Benjamin) Cruz during our budget hearings and budget sessions expressed major concern about the delays. I’m hopeful my measure will spur directors into doing their jobs more efficiently for this year’s budget deliberations,” the senator added.
The measure is Bill 213-37. Agency and department heads who fail to submit documents in a timely manner will be fined $250 for each missed deadline, which will be deposited into the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority Hospital Operations Fund. An additional $250 will be fined for every 30 days that reporting requirements are not met, according to the measure.
“Transparency and accountability measures should be encouraged and not vetoed if we truly want to call ourselves public servants,” Taitague said in the release. “Being truthful and forthcoming shouldn’t be difficult. I urge my colleagues and the (governor’s) administration to pass Bill 213 without hesitation.”
In addition to Taitague, Bill 213 is sponsored by Sens. Joanne Brown, Jesse Lujan, William Parkinson, Chris Barnett, Sabina Flores Perez and Frank Blas Jr., and Speaker Therese Terlaje.
By: John O’Connor
Source: The Guam Daily Post