SENATOR FRANK T. ISHIZAKI I Mina 'Bente Nuebi Na Liheslaturan Guahan CHAIRMAN COMMITIEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND REORGANIZATION July 31, 2008 The Honorable Judith T. Won Pat Speaker I Mina Bente Nuebi Na Liheslaturan Guahan 155 Hesler Place Hagatfia, Guam 96910 4'4srr- Re: Committee Recommendation 3· 3D p Ii\_ g- ~ - o«{ Dear Speaker Won Pat: The Committee on General Governmental Operations and Reorganization, to which was referred Bill No. 203 (EC) An act to re-enact Chapter 6 of Title 12 GCA, and to amend §4105 of Chapter 4 of Title 4 GCA relative to re-establishing the Guam Mass Transit Authority, herein reports the Bill back, as Subsituted by the Committee, with the recommendation TO REPORT OUT ONLY. Votes are as Follows: TO DO PASS 0 NOTTO PASS TO REPORT OUT ONLY 0 ABSTAIN 0 IN ACTIVE FILE Sincerely, Senat~ Ishizaki 155 Hesler Street, Hagatiia, Guam 96910 Tel: 475-384112 ·Fax: 475-3844 · ishizaki(a)te. net itww. (ra 11kish izaki. com SENATOR FRANK T. ISHIZAKI I Mina 'Bente Nuebi Na Liheslaturan Guahan CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND REORGANIZATION July 31, 2008 MEMORANDUM TO: All Members Committee on General Governmental Operations and Reorganization FROM: Chairman SUBJECT: Voting Sheet Transmitted herewith are the voting sheets and the Committee Report of the Confirmation Hearing on Bill 203 (EC) An act to re-enact Chapter 6 of Title 12 GCA, and to amend §4105 of Chapter 4 of Title 4 GCA relative to re-establishing the Guam Mass Transit Authority, as substituted by the Committee for your review and signature. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. Attachments 155 Hesler Street, Hagatna, Guam 96910 Tel: 475-384112 ·Fax: 475-3844 · ishizaki(a ire.net H1t•w.[rankishizaki.com , SENATOR FRANK T. ISHIZAKI I Mina 'Bente Nuebi Na Liheslaturan Guahan CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND REORGANIZATION VOTING RECORD BiJJ No. 203(EC): A n act to re-enact Chapter 6 of Title 12 GCA, and to amend §4105 of Chapter 4 of Title-/- GCA relative to re-establishin,I!, the Guam A1ass Transit Authority, as substituted by the Committee TO PLACE IN NOTTO REPORT Committee Member Signature TO PASS ABSTAIN INACTIVE PASS OUT FILE ONLY Senator Frank T. Ishizaki, ·~ Chairman ;/fl , v- / Senator Frank Blas, Jr., { Member 11 / Vice Speaker Eddie Calvo, Member f(;'.1 / Senator Jim V. Espaldon, , \_/ / ' Member I~ Speaker Mark Forbes, Member ~~ .. Senator Judith P. Guthertz, • -------- Member A / / Senator Jesse A. Lujan, v Member i )I\~( ¥. Senator Tina Muna-Barnes, Member Senator Adolpho ll. Palacios, c-z Member ~);;-, V/.:?j _/ Senator Rory Respicio, Member Speaker Judith T. Won Pat, Member 155 Hesler Street, Hagatna, Guam 96910 Tel: 475-384112 ·Fax: 475-3844 · ishi::aki(l[ite.net www. ti·ankishizaki. com SENATOR FRANK T. ISHIZAKI I Mina 'Bente Nuebi Na Liheslaturan Guahan CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON CALENDAR COMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND REORGANIZATION Committee Report Bill No. 203 (EC) 155 Hesler Street, Hagatfza, Guam 96910 Tel: 475-384112 ·Fax: 475-3844 · [email protected] ww11 ·.(ran ki sh i;aki. com Committee on General Governmental Operations and Reorganization Public Hearing Bill No. 203 (EC): An act to re-enact Chapter 6 of Title 12 GCA, and to amend §4105 of Chapter 4 of Title 4 GCA relative to re-establishing the Guam Mass Transit Authority. I. Overview: The Committee on General Governmental Operations and Reorganizations convened for a public hearing at 9:00 a.rn. on Thursday, May 22, 2008 to receive testimony on Bill No. 203 (EC): An act to re-enact Chapter 6 of Title 12 GCA, and to amend §4105 of Chapter 4 of Title 4 GCA relative to re-establishing the Guam Mass Transit Authority. Notice of the hearing was disseminated throughout all local media for 1 announcement on the 14 h of May, 2008. A second notice of the hearing was disseminated on the 20th of May, 2008. Senators Present: Senator Frank Ishizaki, Chairman Senator Adolpho Palacios, Sr., Vice Chairman Testimony submitted by: •!• Mark "Paps" Martinez •!• Evelyn Duenas, Guam Transportation Commission •!• Joseph Manibusan, Dept. of Administration •!• Manny Cruz, GTC •!• Ginger Porter, CEDDERS •!• Bruce Kloppenburg, Kloppenburg Enterprises Inc. •!• Mike Terlaje, CEDDERS/GTC •!• Felix Dungca Jr., Mass Transit •!• Thomas Manglona, GTC II. Summary of Testimonies: Mark "Paps" Martinez See attached letter Mr. Martinez is in favor ofbill 203. He believes funding can be organized and found for the Guam Mass Transit Authority, probably by apportioning part of the liquid fuel tax specifically for the entity. Evelyn Duenas Ms. Duenas is in favor of bill 203. She feels reestablishment would alleviate problems that are reoccurring regarding Guam's public transit. Since the abolishment of GMTA as an independent agency, many problems have been encountered that are hard to address because of short staffing. Ms. Duenas submitted a compilation of complaints her office at GTC has received. Ms. Duenas feels this is the worst state that the public transportation on Guam has become with complaints. She explains the complaints received are often repetitive issues. She also believes more accountability should be held to the government to provide the services of a reliable transit system to the public. Ms. Duenas explained the importance ofreliability in the services of the transportation system of Guam. Joey Manibusan Joey Manibusan is in favor of bill 203. He explained that our islands growth and need for mobility, environmental, and energy objectives places a great demand on the public transportation system. A safe and reliable transit system should be at the core of any livable community. In a common vision he describes that we are looking at creating a means to sustainable employment, safe neighborhoods, adequate housing, recreational and cultural activities, and a sense of community. Mr. Manibusan said the two key things in creating a livable community are access and mobility. A sound transit system must be a central factor in up keeping quality oflife. A reliable transit system can serve as a catalyst for downtown growth and renewal, can create opportunities for entrepreneurs and economic development, can improve safety and neighborhood amenities, can shape a communities growth~ A public transit system must be visible, viable, convenient, and it must be accessible, to everybody. Transit agencies must ensure the facilities and services they provide create a positive impact on the communities they serve. Transit is about serving the community. Mr. Manibusan gives example of other communities in the U.S. where the government is responsible for the public transit system. They may contract the services out to private companies but the bottom line is the government is responsible for the provision of the service to the public. He also stated that we can learn from neighboring communities' successes and failures in structuring our transit system. Three models Mr. Manibusan gave for transit system structuring were government owned and operated, government owned and administrated with contracted operations, and private ownership and operation. Strategies can be implemented such as design oriented, service oriented, land use oriented, and traffic-flow oriented designs. Transit can affect economic growth. As a result of the inevitable military increase on the island, transit has risen to becoming a high priority in the government and publics concern. Transit should be considered part of a community's infrastructure. Mr. Manibusan feels that bill 203 is a necessary and critical step towards revitalizing the mass transit system on Guam. How it looks and operates is all about the people and the governments choices on how to handle the situation. He stated that we must learn from mistakes made in the past. Manny Cruz Mr. Cruz is in favor ofbill 203. He sees a great need for restoring the GMTA as an individual, self maintained entity. He said he remembers when it was federally funded it was running smoothly. Once the legislature decided to assign the duties and responsibilities to separate agencies, problems started to arise. Mr. Cruz stated he is glad because he feels the bill will bring back the authority to a central entity as so we can move forward in improving the sate of the island's public transportation system. The needs of mass transit for the island's people are desperate and should be considered a priority. At the time the GMT A was established, it was mainly to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. Because of that, measures were pushed into action to serve the people. Mr. Cruz believes the planning of the system should include ideas from people with business, transit, and administration backgrounds. Ginger Porter See attached letter Ms. Porter stated that she appreciates the interest of the senators in the issue of public transportation. She is in favor ifbill 203. She serves on a committee called the Mobility Planning team and has spent a considerable amount of time with her team looking over bill 203 and has submitted several suggestions to Senator Ishizaki's office on things that can be included to strengthen the premise of the bill. Ms. Porter believes an Authority type system would be best for the system and a central management core is needed to ensure the system is reliable and autonomous. Presently we are expecting for the director of DOA to be the head of transit but he does not necessarily have the background and expertise required to do so. Ms. Porter believes the hiring of someone with the attributes required to manage the GMT A is necessary and she feels that person should have to answer to a board in order to retain that position. The board for the proposed GMT A should not only be comprised of members representing the needs of the disabled but a variety including people with transit expertise, administrative backgrounds, etc.