View source for Legislature of Guam

{{short description|Unicameral legislative branch of the US territory, Guam}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color = {{party color|Republican Party (US)}}
| name               = Legislature of Guam
| native_name        = Lehislaturan Guåhan
| native_name_lang   = Chamorro
| legislature        = 38th Guam Legislature
| coa_caption        = Seal of the [[Guam Legislature]]
| logo_pic           = Seal of Guam.svg
| logo_res           = 80px
| logo_caption       = [[Seal of Guam|Territorial Seal of Guam]]
| house_type         = Unicameral
| term_limits        = no limit
| foundation         = May 23, 1950
| preceded_by        = Guam Congress
| leader1_type       = Speaker
| leader1            = [[Frank F. Blas Jr.|Frank Blas]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election1          = January 6, 2025
| leader2_type       = Vice Speaker
| leader2            = [[Tony Ada]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election2          = January 6, 2025
| leader3_type       = Majority Leader
| leader3            = [[Jesse A. Lujan]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election3          = January 6, 2025
| leader4_type       = Minority Leader
| leader4            = ''Vacant'' ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election4          = January 6, 2025
| seats              = 15
| structure1         = 38th Guam Legislature.png
| structure1_res     = 200px
| political_groups1  = 
'''Majority'''
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|#FF0000|border=darkgray}} [[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]] (9)}}
'''Minority'''
*{{nowrap|{{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}} [[Democratic Party of Guam|Democratic]] (6)}}
| term_length        = 2 years (no term limit)
| authority          = [[Organic Act of Guam]]
| salary             = $55,000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/12/02/senators-cut-their-salaries-55000/94790106/|title = Senators cut their salaries to $55,000| date=2 December 2016 }}</ref>
| voting_system1     = [[Single non-transferable vote]]
| last_election1     = [[2024 Guamanian general election|November 5, 2024]]
| next_election1     = 2026
| session_room       = Guam Legislature Building.JPG
| meeting_place      = [[Guam Congress Building]] in [[Hagåtña, Guam|Hagåtña]], [[Guam]]
| website            = [http://www.guamlegislature.gov www.guamlegislature.gov]
| constitution       = Organic Act of Guam
}}
{{Politics of Guam}}
The '''Legislature of Guam''' ({{langx|ch|Lehislaturan Guåhan}}) is the law-making body for the United States territory of [[Guam]]. The [[unicameral]] legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature are elected [[at-large]] with the island under one whole district.  After the enactment of the [[Guam Organic Act]] in 1950, the First Guam Legislature was elected composing of 21 elected members. The current fifteen-member 38th Guam Legislature ({{langx|ch|I Mina' Trentai Siette Na Lehislaturan Guåhan}}) was elected in November 2024.

The next election will be in 2026.

==History==

===American Period: 1898–1941, 1944–present===
Spain [[Capture of Guam|lost Guam]] during the 1898 [[Spanish–American War]] in a bloodless invasion. For the next forty years, the [[United 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 the [[Guam]] Congress during the 1930s as an elected advisory body to the naval governor. On December 8, 1941, [[Japanese Empire|Imperial Japanese]] forces invaded Guam, beginning a three-year occupation of the island. The island was eventually retaken in 1944 during the intense [[Battle of Guam (1944)|Battle of Guam]].

Following the end of the war, the [[U.S. Navy]] attempted to resume military control of the islands, much to the dismay of the local [[Chamorros|Chamorro]] population who demanded greater rights on the heels of the harsh Japanese occupation. The [[U.S. federal government]] listened. The result was the [[Guam Organic Act of 1950]] signed by President [[Harry S. Truman]]. The act established a civilian territorial government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It was the first time that [[Guam]] had a democratic civilian government.

===Speakers of the Guam Legislature===
{| class="wikitable"
! Legislature
! Speaker
! Born-Died
! Term
! Party
|-
|'''[[1st Guam Legislature]]'''
|rowspan=2|[[Antonio Borja Won Pat|Antonio B. Won Pat]]
|rowspan=2|(1908–1987)
|rowspan=2|January 1, 1951 – January 3, 1955
|rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Populist}} | [[Popular Party (Guam)|Popular Party]]
|-
|'''[[2nd Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[3rd Guam Legislature]]'''
|Francisco B. Leon Guerrero
|(1897–1974)
|January 3, 1955 – January 7, 1957
| {{Party shading/Opposition}} | [[Territorial Party]]
|-
|'''[[4th Guam Legislature]]'''
| rowspan=4|[[Antonio Borja Won Pat|Antonio B. Won Pat]]
| rowspan=4|(1908–1987)
| rowspan=4|January 7, 1957 – January 4, 1965
| rowspan=4 {{Party shading/Populist}} | [[Popular Party (Guam)|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
| {{Party shading/Opposition}} | [[Territorial Party]]
|-
|'''[[9th Guam Legislature]]'''
| rowspan=2|[[Joaquin C. Arriola|Joaquin C. "Kin" Arriola]]
| rowspan=2|(1925–2022)
| rowspan=2|January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971
| rowspan=4 {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[Democratic Party of Guam|Democratic]]
|-
|'''[[10th Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[11th Guam Legislature]]'''
| rowspan=2|[[Florencio Ramirez|Florencio T. Ramirez]]
| rowspan=2|(1915–1995)
| rowspan=2|January 4, 1971 – January 6, 1975
|-
|'''[[12th Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''13th Guam Legislature'''
|rowspan=2|[[Joseph F. Ada]]
|rowspan=2|(b. 1943)
|rowspan=2|January 6, 1975 – January 1, 1979
|rowspan=2 {{party shading/Republican}} | [[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]]
|-
|'''14th Guam Legislature'''
|-
|'''15th Guam Legislature'''
|rowspan=2|[[Tommy Tanaka|Thomas V.C. Tanaka]]
|rowspan=2|(b. 1940)
|rowspan=2|January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983
|rowspan=2 {{party shading/Republican}} | [[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]]
|-
|'''16th Guam Legislature'''
|-
|'''[[17th Guam Legislature]]'''
|rowspan=2|[[Carl T.C. Gutierrez]]
|rowspan=2|(b. 1941)
|rowspan=2|January 3, 1983 – January 5, 1987
|rowspan=7 {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[Democratic Party of Guam|Democratic]]
|-
|'''[[18th Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[19th Guam Legislature]]'''
|[[Franklin Quitugua|Franklin J. Arceo Quitugua]]
|(1933–2015)
|January 5, 1987 – January 2, 1989
|-
|'''[[20th Guam Legislature]]'''
|rowspan=3|[[Joe T. San Agustin]]
|rowspan=3|(1931–2021)
|rowspan=3|January 2, 1989 – January 2, 1995
|-
|'''[[21st Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[22nd Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[23rd Guam Legislature]]'''
|[[Don Parkinson (politician)|Don Parkinson]]
|(1942–2020)
|January 2, 1995 – January 6, 1997
|-
|'''24th Guam Legislature'''
|rowspan=3|Antonio "Tony" R. Unpingco
|rowspan=3|(1942–2007)
|rowspan=3|January 6, 1997 – January 6, 2003
|rowspan=3 {{party shading/Republican}} | [[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]]
|-
|'''25th Guam Legislature'''
|-
|'''26th Guam Legislature'''
|-
|'''[[27th Guam Legislature]]'''
|[[Ben Pangelinan|Vicente "Ben" C. Pangelinan]]
|(1955–2014)
|January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005
|{{party shading/Democratic}} | [[Democratic Party of Guam|Democratic]]
|-
|'''[[28th Guam Legislature]]'''
| rowspan=2|Mark Forbes
| rowspan=2|(1954–2025)
| rowspan=2|January 3, 2005 – March 7, 2008
| rowspan=2 {{party shading/Republican}} | [[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]]
|-
| '''[[29th Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
| '''29th Guam Legislature'''
| rowspan=5|[[Judith Won Pat|Judith T. Won Pat]]
| rowspan=5|(b. 1949)
| rowspan=5|March 7, 2008 – January 2, 2017
| rowspan=10 {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[Democratic Party of Guam|Democratic]]
|-
|'''[[30th Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[31st Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[32nd Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[33rd Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
| rowspan=2 |'''[[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 Rose Muña Barnes|Tina Muña Barnes]]
|(b. 1962)
|January 7, 2019 – January 4, 2021
|-
|'''[[36th Guam Legislature]]'''
| rowspan="2" |[[Therese M. Terlaje]]
| rowspan="2" |(b. 1964)
| rowspan="2" |January 4, 2021 – January 6, 2025
|-
|'''[[37th Guam Legislature]]'''
|-
|'''[[38th Guam Legislature]]'''
| rowspan="2" |[[Frank F. Blas Jr.]]
| rowspan="2" |(b. 1962)
| rowspan="2" |January 6, 2025 – present
| rowspan=2 {{party shading/Republican}} | [[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]]
|}

== Structure of the Guam Legislature ==
The [[Guam Organic Act of 1950]] provides for the establishment of the Guam Legislature.  The Organic Act provides that the Guam Legislature is a [[Unicameralism|unicameral 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.

== Qualifications ==
The qualifications for membership in the [[legislature]] are expressly stated in the [[Organic Act of Guam]]:
*a candidate must be at least twenty-five years old, and;
*a candidate must have lived on [[Guam]] for at least five years preceding the sitting of the legislature in which they seek to become a member.

== Seat ==
The legislature currently meets at the [[Guam Congress Building]] along Chalan Santo Papa in the village of [[Hagåtña]], directly across from the [[Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica]].

== Historic composition ==
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: {{legend2|#CCEEFF|[[Democratic Party of Guam|Democratic]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} (D), {{legend2|#CCFFCC|[[Popular Party (Guam)|Popular]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} (P), {{legend2|#FFB6B6|[[Republican Party of Guam|Republican]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} (R), and {{legend2|#FFE153|[[Territorial Party|Territorial]]|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} (T).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Legislative Term !! Election !! Democrats !! Republicans !! Independents/Other !! Total Seats<ref name="ECAR2016">Guam Election Commission. ''2016 Election Comparative Analysis Report''. Hagatna, 2017.</ref>

|-
| [[1st Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| [[1950 Guamanian legislative election|1950]]
| 0
| 0
| 21 
| 21

|-
| [[2nd Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| [[1952 Guamanian legislative election|1952]]
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[3rd Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| [[1954 Guamanian legislative election|1954]]
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[4th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| [[1956 Guamanian legislative election|1956]]
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[5th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| 1958
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[6th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| [[1960 Guamanian legislative election|1960]]
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[7th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Populist}}| 1962
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[8th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Opposition}}| [[1964 Guamanian legislative election|1964]]
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 21

|-
| [[9th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[1966 Guamanian legislative election|1966]]
| 21
| 0
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[10th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1968
| 21
| 0
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[11th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1970
| 15
| 6
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[12th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1972
| 14
| 7
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[13th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| 1974
| 9
| 12
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[14th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| 1976
| 8
| 13
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[15th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| [[1978 Guamanian general election|1978]]
| 7
| 14
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[16th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| 1980
| 10
| 11
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[17th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1982
| 14
| 7
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[18th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[1984 Guamanian general election|1984]]
| 11
| 10
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[19th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1986
| 13
| 8
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[20th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1988
| 13
| 8
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[21st Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1990
| 12
| 9
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[22nd Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1992
| 13
| 8
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[23rd Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 1994
| 13
| 8
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[24th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| 1996
| 10
| 11
| 0
| 21

|-
| [[25th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| [[1998 Guamanian general election|1998]]
| 3
| 12
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[26th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| [[2000 Guamanian general election|2000]]
| 7
| 8
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[27th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2002 Guamanian general election|2002]]
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[28th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| [[2004 Guamanian general election|2004]]
| 6
| 9
| 0
| 15

|-
| rowspan=2| [[29th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| [[2006 Guamanian general election|2006]]
| 7
| 8
| 0
| 15

|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Jan. 2008
| 8
| 7
| 0
| 15

|-
| rowspan=2| [[30th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2008 Guamanian legislative election|2008]]
| 10
| 5
| 0
| 15

|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| 2009
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[31st Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2010 Guamanian legislative election|2010]]
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[32nd Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2012 Guamanian legislative election|2012]]
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[33rd Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2014 Guamanian general election|2014]]
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[34th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2016 Guamanian legislative election|2016]]
| 9
| 6
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[35th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2018 Guamanian legislative election|2018]]
| 10
| 5
| 0
| 15

|-
| [[36th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2020 Guamanian legislative election|2020]]
| 8
| 7
| 0
| 15
|-
|[[37th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}| [[2022 Guamanian legislative election|2022]]
|9
|6
|0
|15
|-

|[[38th Guam Legislature]]
| {{Party shading/Republican}}| [[2024 Guamanian legislative election|2024]]
|6
|9
|0
|15
|}

==See also==
*[[List of state and territorial capitols in the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.guamlegislature.com ''Guam Legislature's Official Website'']
{{Guam Legislatures}}
{{United States legislatures}}
{{National unicameral legislatures}}
{{coord|13|28|32.5|N|144|44|55.7|E|type:landmark_region:US-GU|display=title}}
{{37th Guam Legislature}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legislature Of Guam}}
[[Category:Government of Guam]]
[[Category:Territorial legislatures of the United States|Guam]]
[[Category:Unicameral legislatures|Guam]]
[[Category:1950 establishments in Guam]]
[[Category:Politics of Guam]]
[[Category:Legislature of Guam| ]]