NEWS UPDATE:Guam residents urged to support crucial push for war claims

NEWS UPDATE:Guam residents urged to support crucial push for war claims

Pacific Daily News • September 22, 2009

Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo urged Guam residents today to rally support for passage of the war claims legislation, which Congress will consider over the next two to three weeks as part of the defense spending bill.

War reparations for Guam are included in the House version of the Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2010.

But the Senate version does not contain language for Guam residents to be compensated for their suffering under the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Within the next two to three weeks, conference committee members of the House and Senate will meet to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the defense spending bill, according to Bordallo's office.

The war claims legislation, H.R. 44, received bi-partisan support as a stand-alone legislation at the beginning of the 111th Congress, with the House of Representatives voting to pass the bill by over a two-thirds majority, in a recorded vote of 299 to 99.

Before the August recess, Senate Democrats cleared the bill for full consideration on the Senate floor, but Senate Republicans have not acted on the majority’s request to bring the bill to the floor.

In order to build support for inclusion of H.R. 44 in the defense bill, Congresswoman Bordallo has called for a united front among Guam’s leaders and our community.

Gov. Felix Camacho, Speaker Judith Won Pat, Minority Leader Eddie Calvo and Sen. Frank Blas, Jr. have all been involved in a letter writing effort to Senate leaders.

Former Congressman Ben Blaz has been helping to reach out to his friends in the Senate, especially among GOP Senators.

“I urge our community to support the inclusion of H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, in the final Defense Authorization bill,” Bordallo wrote.