The provisions of this bill will provide the long
term structural reconstruction necessary to avoid the mind set that got us
where we are today and can provide an
effective, efficient government that provides basic services in accordance with
the rule of law on at least a break-even basis.
Up until
now our government was devoted to priorities. We emphasized priorities. We paid homage to priorities. We enacted laws
for priorities. We appropriated money for priorities. The only problem was that
EVERYTHING was a priority, thus NOTHING was a priority. Enacting this bill will
show your constituents what your priorities really are:
Group
I
PN 100 Education:
101E
Guam Department of Education
103E
Guam Community College
104E
Guam Public Library
Health:
101H
Guam Memorial Hospital
102H
Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness
Center
103H
Department of Public Health and Social Services
Public Safety(S):
101S
Guam Police Department
102S
Guam Fire Department
103S
Department of Corrections
104S
Department of Law (prosecution division)
105S
Department of Customs and Quarantine Agency
106S
Department of Youth Affairs (custodial; corrections related)
107S
Guam Homeland Security; Office of Civil
Defense
The
identification of Group I aids in several governmental functions, e.g. budgeting, personal management,
recruitment and of course layoffs, furloughs, RIFs and any other function
suggesting prioritization. When government initiatives are considered the
effect on Group I can be the litmus, e.g.
should $400,000 be spent to send a soccer team to a tournament? If so, what is
the impact on Group I? How about $810,147
for a government holiday? South Pacific Games? Festpac? $300,000 worth of executive security for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor
and first lady which, contrary to what Chief Cruz told the Post, is NOT required
by law.
Take the budgeting process as an example. A standard budget for Group I could be
introduced, debated, passed and sent to the Governor. The legislature could
then go through the same drill for Group II and whatever remains would be
allocated to Group III; the governor to use a 100% transfer authority. This procedure avoids
the rather unsightly spectacle provided by the legislature working a single
budget for the entire government where each item appears (repeating, appears)
of equal weight. Thus the practice has been that if a senator would increase an
appropriation to what should be recognized as a priority, the cry arises from a
backbencher, “WHERE YOU GONNA CUT?!” Budgeting for priorities shouldn’t be seen
as a zero sum game with the entire government on the other end of the scale
from priority functions.
§§2203 et
seq. allow the Governor to develop a governmental structure to replace the
haphazard ad hoc governmental
structure that metamorphosed after 1950.
48 USC § 1422c (d) of the Organic Act gives the Governor the responsibility to
reorganize but not the power in the face of statute. Over the years the uncontrollable urge to
pander to government employees erected so many road blocks as to make
reorganization impossible.. The complexity encountered to reorganize the entire
government probably exceeds the design capability of any legislature.
Enacting the provisions of the bill probably
involves a fair amount of legislative quibbling, e.g. does the library belong in Group I? Bureau of Budget and Management Research in Group II?
And so on. Caveat: whatever the Governor does ten of you can undo.
Testimony on Bills 248 and 5S
will explicate upon the parliamentary acrobatics necessary to make a tax increase
barely palatable even to cynics like me. Let’s call it the Missouri Maneuver.
[Preview: Standing Rules §§ 4.02 &
6.01]
Respectfully submitted,
Original
signed by Robert
Klitzkie
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