Legislature of Guam Lehislaturan Guåhan | |
|---|---|
| 38th Guam Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | no limit |
| History | |
| Founded | May 23, 1950 |
| Preceded by | Guam Congress |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Vice Speaker | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | Vacant (D) since January 6, 2025 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 15 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 2 years (no term limit) |
| Authority | Organic Act of Guam |
| Salary | $55,000[1] |
| Elections | |
| Single non-transferable vote | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 |
Next election | 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Guam Congress Building inHagåtña,Guam | |
| Website | |
| www.guamlegislature.gov | |
| Constitution | |
| Organic Act of Guam | |
|
|---|
TheLegislature of Guam (Chamorro:Lehislaturan Guåhan) is the law-making body for the United States territory ofGuam. Theunicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature are electedat-large with the island under one whole district. After the enactment of theGuam Organic Act in 1950, the First Guam Legislature was elected composing of 21 elected members. The current fifteen-member 38th Guam Legislature (Chamorro:I Mina' Trentai Siette Na Lehislaturan Guåhan) was elected in November 2024.
The next election will be in 2026.
Spainlost Guam during the 1898Spanish–American War in a bloodless invasion. For the next forty years, theUnited States Navy assumed executive control of the island, treating it more as a military outpost than an overseas territory, with little to no civilian say in the island's affairs. Governor Captain Willis Winter Bradley instituted theGuam Congress during the 1930s as an elected advisory body to the naval governor. On December 8, 1941,Imperial Japanese forces invaded Guam, beginning a three-year occupation of the island. The island was eventually retaken in 1944 during the intenseBattle of Guam.
Following the end of the war, theU.S. Navy attempted to resume military control of the islands, much to the dismay of the localChamorro population who demanded greater rights on the heels of the harsh Japanese occupation. TheU.S. federal government listened. The result was theGuam Organic Act of 1950 signed by PresidentHarry S. Truman. The act established a civilian territorial government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It was the first time thatGuam had a democratic civilian government.
| Legislature | Speaker | Born-Died | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Guam Legislature | Antonio B. Won Pat | (1908–1987) | January 1, 1951 – January 3, 1955 | Popular Party |
| 2nd Guam Legislature | ||||
| 3rd Guam Legislature | Francisco B. Leon Guerrero | (1897–1974) | January 3, 1955 – January 7, 1957 | Territorial Party |
| 4th Guam Legislature | Antonio B. Won Pat | (1908–1987) | January 7, 1957 – January 4, 1965 | Popular Party |
| 5th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 6th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 7th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 8th Guam Legislature | Carlos P. Taitano | (1917–2009) | January 4, 1965 – January 2, 1967 | Territorial Party |
| 9th Guam Legislature | Joaquin C. "Kin" Arriola | (1925–2022) | January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971 | Democratic |
| 10th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 11th Guam Legislature | Florencio T. Ramirez | (1915–1995) | January 4, 1971 – January 6, 1975 | |
| 12th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 13th Guam Legislature | Joseph F. Ada | (b. 1943) | January 6, 1975 – January 1, 1979 | Republican |
| 14th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 15th Guam Legislature | Thomas V.C. Tanaka | (b. 1940) | January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983 | Republican |
| 16th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 17th Guam Legislature | Carl T.C. Gutierrez | (b. 1941) | January 3, 1983 – January 5, 1987 | Democratic |
| 18th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 19th Guam Legislature | Franklin J. Arceo Quitugua | (1933–2015) | January 5, 1987 – January 2, 1989 | |
| 20th Guam Legislature | Joe T. San Agustin | (1931–2021) | January 2, 1989 – January 2, 1995 | |
| 21st Guam Legislature | ||||
| 22nd Guam Legislature | ||||
| 23rd Guam Legislature | Don Parkinson | (1942–2020) | January 2, 1995 – January 6, 1997 | |
| 24th Guam Legislature | Antonio "Tony" R. Unpingco | (1942–2007) | January 6, 1997 – January 6, 2003 | Republican |
| 25th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 26th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 27th Guam Legislature | Vicente "Ben" C. Pangelinan | (1955–2014) | January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005 | Democratic |
| 28th Guam Legislature | Mark Forbes | (1954–2025) | January 3, 2005 – March 7, 2008 | Republican |
| 29th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 29th Guam Legislature | Judith T. Won Pat | (b. 1949) | March 7, 2008 – January 2, 2017 | Democratic |
| 30th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 31st Guam Legislature | ||||
| 32nd Guam Legislature | ||||
| 33rd Guam Legislature | ||||
| 34th Guam Legislature | Benjamin J.F. Cruz | (b. 1951) | January 2, 2017 – August 28, 2018 | |
| Therese M. Terlaje (acting) | (b. 1964) | August 28, 2018 – January 7, 2019 | ||
| 35th Guam Legislature | Tina Muña Barnes | (b. 1962) | January 7, 2019 – January 4, 2021 | |
| 36th Guam Legislature | Therese M. Terlaje | (b. 1964) | January 4, 2021 – January 6, 2025 | |
| 37th Guam Legislature | ||||
| 38th Guam Legislature | Frank F. Blas Jr. | (b. 1962) | January 6, 2025 – present | Republican |
TheGuam Organic Act of 1950 provides for the establishment of the Guam Legislature. The Organic Act provides that the Guam Legislature is aunicameral body with up to twenty-one members and that elections shall be held every two years. Until a change to Guam law in 1996, the Guam Legislature had 21 members, called senators, but since then it has had 15 senators. Senators of the Guam Legislature have been elected both by a number of at-large districts and by an island-wide at-large election. Since the 1980s, senators of the Guam Legislature have been elected at-large through an open partisan primary and a subsequent island-wide election.
The qualifications for membership in thelegislature are expressly stated in theOrganic Act of Guam:
The legislature currently meets at theGuam Congress Building along Chalan Santo Papa in the village ofHagåtña, directly across from theDulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica.
The biennial legislative terms and the years of general elections are listed in the table below, along with the number of Democratic, Republican, and Independents and Other Parties' seats in each respective legislative term.
The parties are as follows: Democratic (D), Popular (P), Republican (R), and Territorial (T).
13°28′32.5″N144°44′55.7″E / 13.475694°N 144.748806°E /13.475694; 144.748806
