ORGANIC ACT OF GUAM
Chapter 512 of the 81st Congress, as amended
ORGANIC ACT OF GUAM
ch512
117–286
Statute Compilation
United States House of Representatives
Office of the Legislative Counsel
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
GPO Statute Compilations USLM converter, version 20210527.1
2023-02-03
Organic Act of Guam
1142
81
1950-08-01
ORGANIC ACT OF GUAM
[Chapter 512 of the 81st Congress; Approved August 1, 1950]
[As Amended Through P.L. 117–286, Enacted December 27, 2022]
[Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of Chapter 512 of the 81st Congress. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/]
[Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]

AN ACT
To provide a civil government for Guam, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[48 U.S.C. 1421 note] That this Act may be cited as the “Organic Act of Guam”.
Sec. 2.
[48 U.S.C. 1421]
The territory ceded to the United States in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain, signed at Paris, December 10, 1898, and proclaimed April 11, 1899, and known as the island of Guam in the Marianas Islands, shall continue to be known as Guam.
Sec. 3.
[48 U.S.C. 1421a]
Guam is hereby declared to be an unincorporated territory of the United States and the capital and seat of government thereof shall be located at the city of Agana, Guam. The government of Guam shall have the powers set forth in this Act, shall have power to sue by such name, and, with the consent of the legislature evidenced by enacted law, may be sued upon any contract entered into with respect to, or any tort committed incident to, the exercise by the government of Guam of any of its lawful powers. The government of Guam shall consist of three branches, executive, legislative, and judicial, and its relations with the Federal Government in all matters not the program responsibility of another Federal department or agency, shall be under the general administrative supervision of the Secretary of the Interior.
Sec. 4.
[Repealed]

bill of rights
Sec. 5.
[48 U.S.C. 1421b]
(a)
No law shall be enacted in Guam respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of their grievances.
(b)
No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
(c)
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrant for arrest or search shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the person or things to be seized.
(d)
No person shall be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of punishment; nor shall he be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.
(e)
No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
(f)
Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.
(g)
In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial; to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and to have a copy thereof; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
(h)
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
(i)
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in Guam.
(j)
No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be enacted.
(k)
No person shall be imprisoned for debt.
(l)
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless, when in cases of rebellion or invasion or imminent danger thereof, the public safety shall require it.
(m)
No qualification with respect to property, income, political opinion, or any other matter apart from citizenship, civil capacity, and residence shall be imposed upon any voter.
(n)
No discrimination shall be made in Guam against any person on account of race, language, or religion, nor shall the equal protection of the laws be denied.
(o)
No person shall be convicted of treason against the United States unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
(p)
No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, supplied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or association, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary as such.
(q)
The employment of children under the age of fourteen years in any occupation injurious to health or morals or hazardous to life or limb is hereby prohibited.
(r)
There shall be compulsory education for all children, between the ages of six and sixteen years.
(s)
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the government of Guam.
(t)
No person who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party, organization, or association which advocates, the overthrow by force or violence of the government of Guam or of the United States shall be qualified to hold any public office of trust or profit under the government of Guam.
(u)
The following provisions of and amendments to the Constitution of the United States are hereby extended to Guam to the extent that they have not been previously extended to that territory and shall have the same force and effect there as in the United States or in any State of the United States: article I, section 9, clauses 2 and 3; article IV, section 1 and section 2, clause 1; the first to ninth amendments inclusive; the thirteenth amendment; the second sentence of section 1 of the fourteenth amendment; and the fifteenth and nineteenth amendments.
All laws enacted by Congress with respect to Guam and all laws enacted by the territorial legislature of Guam which are inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection are repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.
Sec. 6.
[48 U.S.C. 1422]
The executive power of Guam shall be vested in an executive officer whose official title shall be the “Governor of Guam”. The Governor of Guam, together with the Lieutenant Governor, shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the people who are qualified to vote for the members of the Legislature of Guam. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be chosen jointly, by the casting by each voter of a single vote applicable to both offices. If no candidates receive a majority of the votes cast in any election, on the fourteenth day thereafter a runoff election shall be held between the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor receiving the highest and second highest number of votes cast. The first election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be held on November 3, 1970. Thereafter, beginning with the year 1974, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected every four years at the general election. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall hold office for a term of four years and until their successors are elected and qualified.
No person who has been elected Governor for two full successive terms shall again be eligible to hold that office until one full term has intervened.
The term of the elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall commence on the first Monday of January following the date of election.
No person shall be eligible for election to the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor unless he is an eligible voter and has been for five consecutive years immediately preceding the election a citizen of the United States and a bona fide resident of Guam, and will be, at the time of taking office, at least thirty years of age. The Governor shall maintain his official residence in Guam during his incumbency.
The Governor shall have general supervision and control of all the departments, bureaus, agencies, and other instrumentalities of the executive branch of the government of Guam. He may grant pardons and reprieves and remit fines and forfeitures for offenses against local laws. He may veto any legislation as provided in this Act. He shall appoint, and may remove, all officers and employees of the executive branch of the government of Guam except as otherwise provided in this or any other Act of Congress, or under the laws of Guam, and shall commission all officers that he may be authorized to appoint. He shall be responsible for the faithful execution of the laws of Guam and the laws of the United States applicable in Guam. Whenever it becomes necessary, in case of disaster, invasion, insurrection, or rebellion, or imminent danger thereof, or to prevent or suppress lawless violence, he may summon the posse comitatus or call out the militia or request assistance of the senior military or naval commander of the Armed Forces of the United States in Guam, which may be given at the discretion of such commander if not disruptive of, or inconsistent with, his Federal responsibilities. He may, in case of rebellion or invasion, or imminent danger thereof, when the public safety requires it, proclaim the island, insofar as it is under the jurisdiction of the government of Guam, to be under martial law. The members of the legislature shall meet forthwith on their own initiative and may, by a two-thirds vote, revoke such proclamation.
The Governor shall prepare, publish, and submit to the Congress and the Secretary of the Interior a comprehensive annual financial report in conformance with the standards of the National Council on Governmental Accounting within one hundred and twenty days after the close of the fiscal year. The comprehensive annual financial report shall include statistical data as set forth in the standards of the National Council on Governmental Accounting relating to the physical, economic, social, and political characteristics of the government, and any other information required by the Congress. The Governor shall also make such other reports at such other times as may be required by the Congress or under applicable Federal law. He shall have the power to issue executive orders and regulations not in conflict with any applicable law. He may recommend bills to the legislature and give expression to his views on any matter before that body.
There is hereby established the office of Lieutenant Governor of Guam. The Lieutenant Governor shall have such executive powers and perform such duties as may be assigned to him by the Governor or prescribed by this Act or under the laws of Guam.
Sec. 7.
[48 U.S.C. 1422a]
(a)
The people of Guam shall have the right of initiative and referendum, to be exercised under conditions and procedures specified in the laws of Guam.
(b)
Any Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or member of the legislature of Guam may be removed from office by a referendum election in which at least two-thirds of the number of persons voting for such official in the last preceding general election at which such official was elected vote in favor of recall and in which those so voting constitute a majority of all those participating in such referendum election. The referendum election shall be initiated by the legislature of Guam following (a) a two-thirds vote of the members of the legislature in favor of a referendum, or (b) petition for such a referendum to the legislature by registered voters equal in number to at least 50 per centum of the whole number of votes cast at the last general election at which such official was elected preceding the filing of the petition.
Sec. 8.
[48 U.S.C. 1422b]
(a)
In case of the temporary disability or temporary absence of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor shall have the powers of the Governor.
(b)
In case of a permanent vacancy in the office of Governor, arising by reason of the death, resignation, removal by recall, or permanent disability of the Governor, or the death, resignation or permanent disability of a Governor-elect, or for any other reason, the Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant Governor-elect shall become the Governor, to hold office for the unexpired term and until he or his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified at the next regular election for Governor.
(c)
In case of the temporary disability or temporary absence of the Lieutenant Governor, or during any period when the Lieutenant Governor is acting as Governor, the speaker of the Guam Legislature shall act as Lieutenant Governor.
(d)
In case of a permanent vacancy in the office of Lieutenant Governor, arising by reason of death, resignation, or permanent disability of the Lieutenant Governor, or because the Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant Governor-elect has succeeded to the office of Governor, the Governor shall appoint a new Lieutenant Governor, with the advice and consent of the legislature, to hold office for the unexpired term and until he or his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified at the next regular election for Lieutenant Governor.
(e)
In case of the temporary disability or temporary absence of both the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor, the powers of the Governor shall be exercised, as Acting Governor, by such person as the laws of Guam may prescribe. In case of a permanent vacancy in the offices of both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, the office of Governor shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner prescribed by the laws of Guam.
(f)
No additional compensation shall be paid to any person acting as Governor or Lieutenant Governor who does not also assume the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor under the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 9.
[48 U.S.C. 1422c]
(a)
The Governor shall, except as otherwise provided in this Act or the laws of Guam, appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the legislature, all heads of executive agencies and instrumentalities. The legislature shall establish a merit system and, as far as practicable, appointments and promotions shall be made in accordance with such merit system. The Government of Guam may by law establish a Civil Service Commission to administer the merit system. Members of the commission may be removed as provided by the laws of Guam.
(b)
All officers shall have such powers and duties as may be conferred or imposed on them by law or by executive regulation of the Governor not inconsistent with any law.
(c)
The Governor shall, from time to time, examine the organization of the executive branch of the government of Guam, and shall determine and carry out such changes therein as are necessary to promote effective management and to execute faithfully the purposes of this Act and the laws of Guam.
(d)
All persons holding office in Guam on the date of enactment of this Act may, except as otherwise provided in this Act, continue to hold their respective offices until their successors are appointed and qualified.
Sec. 9–A.
[48 U.S.C. 1422d]
(a)
The following functions, powers, and duties heretofore vested in the government comptroller for Guam are hereby transferred to the Inspector General, Department of the Interior, for the purpose of establishing an organization which will maintain a satisfactory level of independent audit oversight of the government of Guam:
(1)
The authority to audit all accounts pertaining to the revenue and receipts of the government of Guam, and of funds derived from bond issues, and the authority to audit, in accordance with law and administrative regulations, all expenditures of funds and property pertaining to the government of Guam including those pertaining to trust funds held by the government of Guam.
(2)
The authority to report to the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of Guam all failures to collect amounts due the government, and expenditures of funds or uses of property which are irregular or not pursuant to law.
(b)
The authority granted in paragraph (a) shall extend to all activities of the government of Guam, and shall be in addition to the authority conferred upon the Inspector General by chapter 4 of title 5, United States Code.
(c)
In order to carry out the provisions of this section, the personnel, assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other funds employed, held, used, arising from, available or to be made available, of the office of the government comptroller for Guam related to its audit function are hereby transferred to the Office of Inspector General, Department of the Interior.
Sec. 10.
[48 U.S.C. 1423]
(a)
The legislative power and authority of Guam shall be vested in a legislature, consisting of a single house, to be designated the “Legislature of Guam”, herein referred to as the legislature.
(b)
The legislature shall be composed of not to exceed twenty-one members, to be known as senators, elected at large, or elected from legislative districts, or elected in part at large and in part from legislative districts, as the laws of Guam may direct: Provided, That any districting and any apportionment pursuant to this authorization and provided for by the laws of Guam shall not deny to any person in Guam the equal protection of the laws: And provided further, That in any elections to the legislature, every elector shall be permitted to vote for the whole number of at-large candidates to be elected, and every elector residing in a legislative district shall be permitted to vote for the whole number of candidates to be elected within that district.
(c)
Any districting and related apportionment pursuant to this section shall be based upon the then most recent Federal population census of Guam, and any such districting and apportionment shall be reexamined following each successive Federal population census of Guam and shall be modified, if necessary, to be consistent with that census.
(d)
General elections to the legislature shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, biennially in even-numbered years. The legislature in all respects shall be organized and shall sit according to the laws of Guam.
Sec. 11.
[48 U.S.C. 1423a]
The legislative power of Guam shall extend to all rightful subjects of legislation not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act and the laws of the United States applicable to Guam. Taxes and assessments on property, internal revenues, sales, license fees, and royalties for franchises, privileges, and concessions may be imposed for purposes of the government of Guam as may be uniformly provided by the Legislature of Guam, and when necessary to anticipate taxes and revenues, bonds and other obligations may be issued by the government of Guam: Provided, however, That no public indebtedness of Guam shall be authorized or allowed in excess of 10 per centum of the aggregate tax valuation of the property in Guam. Bonds or other obligations of the government of Guam payable solely from revenues derived from any public improvement or undertaking shall not be considered public indebtedness of Guam within the meaning of this section. All bonds issued by the government of Guam or by its authority shall be exempt, as to principal and interest, from taxation by the Government of the United States or by the government of Guam, or by any State or Territory or any political subdivision thereof, or by the District of Columbia. The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter in this section referred to as “Secretary”) is authorized to guarantee for purchase by the Federal Financing Bank bonds or other obligations of the Guam Power Authority maturing on or before December 31, 1978, which shall be issued in order to refinance short-term notes due or existing on June 1, 1976 and other indebtedness not evidenced by bonds or notes in an aggregate amount of not more than $36 million, and such bank, in addition to its other powers, is authorized to purchase, receive or otherwise acquire these same. The interest rate on obligations purchased by the Federal Financing Bank shall be not less than a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury taking into consideration the current average market yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of comparable maturities, adjusted to the nearest one-eighth of 1 per centum, plus 1 per centum per annum. The Secretary, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury, may extend the guarantee provision of the previous sentence until December 31, 1980. The Secretary, upon determining that the Guam Power Authority is unable to refinance on reasonable terms the obligations purchased by the Federal Financing Bank under the fifth sentence of this section by December 31, 1980, may, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury, guarantee for purchase by the Federal Financing Bank; and such bank is authorized to purchase, obligations of the Guam Power Authority issued to refinance the principal amount of the obligations guaranteed under the fifth sentence of this section. The obligations that refinance such principal amount shall mature not later than December 31, 1990, and shall bear interest at a rate determined in accordance with section 6 of the Federal Financing Bank Act (12 U.S.C. 2285). At the request of the Board of Directors of the Guam Power Authority for a second refinancing agreement and conditioned on the approval of the Government of Guam pursuant to the law of Guam, and conditioned on the establishment of an independent rate-making authority by the Government of Guam, the Secretary may guarantee for purchase by the Federal Financing Bank, on or before December 31, 1984, according to an agreement that shall provide for—
(a)
substantially equal semiannual installments of principal and interest;
(b)
maturity of obligations no later than December 31, 2004;
(c)
authority for the Secretary, should there be a violation of a provision of this legislation, or covenants or stipulations contained in the refinancing document and after giving sixty days notice of such violation to the Guam Power Authority and the Governor of Guam, to dismiss members of the Board of Directors or the general manager of the Guam Power Authority, and (1) appoint in their place members or a general manager who shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, or (2) contract for the management of the Guam Power Authority; and
(d)
an annual simple interest rate of seven per centum; and the Federal Financing Bank shall purchase such Guam Power Authority obligations if such Guam Power Authority obligations are issued to refinance the principal amount scheduled to mature on December 31, 1990. Should such second refinancing occur, (1) the independent rate-making authority to be established by the Government of Guam, or in its absence, the Board of Directors of the Guam Power Authority, shall establish rates sufficient to satisfy all financial obligations and future capital investment needs of the Guam Power Authority that shall be consistent with generally accepted rate-making practices of public utilities, and (2) the Government of Guam shall not modify the requirements of such refinancing agreement without agreement of the Secretary. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior for payment to the Federal Financing Bank such sums as are necessary to pay (1) the repurchase payment required under the fifth paragraph of the December 31, 1980, note from the Guam Power Authority to the Federal Financing Bank and any subsequent repurchase payments required under the second refinancing agreement, and (2) the interest rate differential between the seven per centum to be paid by the Guam Power Authority and the second refinancing agreement and the interest rate that would otherwise be determined in accordance with the above cited section 6 of the Federal Financing Bank Act.
Should the Guam Power Authority fail to pay in full any installment of interest or principal when due on the bonds or other obligations guaranteed under this section, the Secretary of the Treasury, upon notice from the Secretary shall deduct and pay to the Federal Financing Bank or the Secretary, according to their respective interests, such unpaid amounts from sums collected and payable pursuant to section 30 of this Act (48 U.S.C. 1421h). Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Acts making appropriations may provide for the withholding of any payments from the United States to the government of Guam which may be or may become due pursuant to any law and offset the amount of such withheld payments against any claim the United States may have against the government of Guam or the Guam Power Authority pursuant to this guarantee. For the purpose of this Act, under section 3466 of the Revised Statutes (31 U.S.C. 191) the term “person” includes the government of Guam and the Guam Power Authority. The Secretary may place such stipulations as he deems appropriate on the bonds or other obligations he guarantees.
Sec. 12.
[48 U.S.C. 1423b]
The legislature shall be the judge of the selection and qualification of its own members. It shall choose from its members its own officers, determine its rules and procedure, not inconsistent with this Act, and keep a journal. The quorum of the legislature shall consist of a simple majority of its members. No bill shall become a law unless it shall have been passed at a meeting, at which a quorum was present, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present and voting, which vote shall be by yeas and nays.
Sec. 13.
[48 U.S.C. 1423c]
(a)
The members of the legislature shall, in all cases except treason, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the legislature and in going to and returning from the same.
(b)
No member of the legislature shall be held to answer before any tribunal other than the legislature itself for any speech or debate in the legislature.
Sec. 14.
[48 U.S.C. 1423d]
Every member of the legislature and all officers of the government of Guam shall take the following oath or affirmation:
“I solemnly swear (or affirm) in the presence of Almighty God that I will well and faithfully support the Constitution of the United States, the laws of the United States applicable to Guam and the laws of Guam, and that I will conscientiously and impartially discharge my duties as a member of the Guam Legislature (or as an officer of the government of Guam).”
Sec. 15.
[48 U.S.C. 1423e]
No member of the legislature shall, during the term for which he was elected or during the year following the expiration of such term, be appointed to any office which has been created, or the salary or emoluments of which have been increased during such term.
Sec. 16.
[48 U.S.C. 1423f]
No person shall sit in the legislature who is not a citizen of the United States, who has not attained the age of twenty-five years and who has not been domiciled in Guam for at least five years immediately preceding the sitting of the legislature in which he seeks to qualify as a member, or who has been convicted of a felony or of a crime involving moral turpitude and has not received a pardon restoring his civil rights.
Sec. 17.
[48 U.S.C. 1423g]
Vacancies occurring in the legislature shall be filled as the legislature shall provide, except that no person filling a vacancy shall hold office longer than for the remainder of the term for which his predecessor was elected.
Sec. 18.
[48 U.S.C. 1423h]
Regular sessions of the legislature shall be held annually, commencing on the second Monday in January (unless the legislature shall by law fix a different date), and shall continue for such term as the legislature may provide. The Governor may call special sessions of the legislature at any time when, in his opinion, the public interest may require it. No legislation shall be considered at any special session other than that specified in the call therefor or in any special message by the Governor to the legislature while in such session. All sessions of the legislature shall be open to the public.
Sec. 19.
[48 U.S.C. 1423i]
Every bill passed by the legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be entered upon the journal and presented to the Governor. If he approves it, he shall sign it, but if not he shall, except as hereinafter provided, return it, with his objections, to the legislature within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him. If he does not return it within such period, it shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the legislature by adjournment prevents its return, in which case it shall be a law if signed by the Governor within thirty days after it shall have been presented to him; otherwise it shall not be a law. When a bill is returned by the Governor to the legislature with his objections, the legislature shall enter his objections at large on its journal and, upon motion of a member of the legislature, proceed to reconsider the bill. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of all the members of the legislature pass the bill, it shall be a law. If any bill presented to the Governor contains several items of appropriation of money, he may object to one or more of such items, or any part or parts, portion or portions thereof, while approving the other items, parts, or portions of the bill. In such a case he shall append to the bill, at the time of signing it, a statement of the items, or parts or portions thereof, to which he objects, and the items, or parts or portions thereof, so objected to shall not take effect. All laws enacted by the legislature shall be reported by the Governor to the head of the department or agency designated by the President under section 3 of this Act. The Congress of the United States reserves the power and authority to annul the same.
Sec. 20.
[48 U.S.C. 1423j]
(a)
Appropriations, except as otherwise provided in this Act, and except such appropriations as shall be made from time to time, by the Congress of the United States, shall be made by the legislature.
(b)
If at the termination of any fiscal year the legislature shall have failed to pass appropriation bills providing for payments of the necessary current expenses of the government and meeting its legal obligations for the ensuing fiscal year, then the several sums appropriated in the last appropriation bills for the objects and purposes therein specified, so far as the same may be applicable, shall be deemed to be reappropriated, item by item.
(c)
All appropriations made prior to the date of enactment of this Act shall be available to the government of Guam.
Sec. 21.
[48 U.S.C. 1423k]
The legislature or any person or group of persons in Guam shall have the unrestricted right of petition. It shall be the duty of all officers of the government to receive and without delay to act upon or forward, as the case may require, any such petition.
Sec. 22.
[48 U.S.C. 1424]
(a)
(1)
The judicial authority of Guam shall be vested in a court established by Congress designated as the “District Court of Guam”, and a judicial branch of Guam which branch shall constitute a unified judicial system and include an appellate court designated as the “Supreme Court of Guam”, a trial court designated as the “Superior Court of Guam”, and such other lower local courts as may have been or shall hereafter be established by the laws of Guam.
(2)
The Supreme Court of Guam may, by rules of such court, create divisions of the Superior Court of Guam and other local courts of Guam.
(3)
The courts of record for Guam shall be the District Court of Guam, the Supreme Court of Guam, the Superior Court of Guam (except the Traffic and Small Claims divisions of the Superior Court of Guam) and any other local courts or divisions of local courts that the Supreme Court of Guam shall designate.
(b)
The District Court of Guam shall have the jurisdiction of a district court of the United States, including, but not limited to, the diversity jurisdiction provided for in section 1332 of title 28, United States Code, and that of a bankruptcy court of the United States.
(c)
In addition to the jurisdiction described in subsection (b), the District Court of Guam shall have original jurisdiction in all other causes in Guam, jurisdiction over which is not then vested by the legislature in another court or other courts established by it. In causes brought in the district court solely on the basis of this subsection, the district court shall be considered a court established by the laws of Guam for the purpose of determining the requirements of indictment by grand jury or trial by jury.
Sec. 22A.
[48 U.S.C. 1424–1]
(a)
The Supreme Court of Guam shall be the highest court of the judicial branch of Guam (excluding the District Court of Guam) and shall—
(1)
have original jurisdiction over proceedings necessary to protect its appellate jurisdiction and supervisory authority and such other original jurisdiction as the laws of Guam may provide;
(2)
have jurisdiction to hear appeals over any cause in Guam decided by the Superior Court of Guam or other courts established under the laws of Guam;
(3)
have jurisdiction to issue all orders and writs in aid of its appellate, supervisory, and original jurisdiction, including those orders necessary for the supervision of the judicial branch of Guam;
(4)
have supervisory jurisdiction over the Superior Court of Guam and all other courts of the judicial branch of Guam;
(5)
hear and determine appeals by a panel of three of the justices of the Supreme Court of Guam and a concurrence of two such justices shall be necessary to a decision of the Supreme Court of Guam on the merits of an appeal;
(6)
make and promulgate rules governing the administration of the judiciary and the practice and procedure in the courts of the judicial branch of Guam, including procedures for the determination of an appeal en banc; and
(7)
govern attorney and judicial ethics and the practice of law in Guam, including admission to practice law and the conduct and discipline of persons admitted to practice law.
(b)
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam—
(1)
shall preside over the Supreme Court unless disqualified or unable to act;
(2)
shall be the administrative head of, and have general supervisory power over, all departments, divisions, and other instrumentalities of the judicial branch of Guam; and
(3)
may issue such administrative orders on behalf of the Supreme Court of Guam as necessary for the efficient administration of the judicial branch of Guam.
(c)
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam, or a justice sitting in place of such Chief Justice, may make any appropriate order with respect to—
(1)
an appeal prior to the hearing and determination of that appeal on the merits; or
(2)
dismissal of an appeal for lack of jurisdiction or failure to take or prosecute the appeal in accordance with applicable laws or rules of procedure.
(d)
Except as granted to the Supreme Court of Guam or otherwise provided by this Act or any other Act of Congress, the Superior Court of Guam and all other local courts established by the laws of Guam shall have such original and appellate jurisdiction over all causes in Guam as the laws of Guam provide, except that such jurisdiction shall be subject to the exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction conferred on the District Court of Guam under section 22 of this Act.
(e)
The qualifications and duties of the justices and judges of the Supreme Court of Guam, the Superior Court of Guam, and all other local courts established by the laws of Guam shall be governed by the laws of Guam and the rules of such courts.
Sec. 22B.
[48 U.S.C. 1424–2]
The relations between the courts established by the Constitution or laws of the United States and the local courts of Guam with respect to appeals, certiorari, removal of causes, the issuance of writs of habeas corpus, and other matters or proceedings shall be governed by the laws of the United States pertaining to the relations between the courts of the United States, including the Supreme Court of the United States, and the courts of the several States in such matters and proceedings.
Sec. 22C.
[48 U.S.C. 1424–3]
(a)
Prior to the establishment of the appellate court authorized by section 22A(a) of this Act, which is known as the Supreme Court of Guam, the District Court of Guam shall have such appellate jurisdiction over the local courts of Guam as the legislature may determine: Provided, That the legislature may not preclude the review of any judgment or order which involves the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States including this Act, or any authority exercised thereunder by an officer or agency of the Government of the United States, or the conformity of any law enacted by the legislature of Guam or of any orders or regulations issued or actions taken by the executive branch of the government of Guam with the Constitution, treaties, or laws of the United States, including this Act, or any authority exercised thereunder by an officer or agency of the United States.
(b)
Appeals to the District Court of Guam shall be heard and determined by an appellate division of the court consisting of three judges, of whom two shall constitute a quorum. The district judge shall be the presiding judge of the appellate division and shall preside therein unless disqualified or otherwise unable to act. The other judges who are to sit in the appellate division of any session shall be designated by the presiding judge from among the judges who are serving on, or are assigned to, the district court from time to time pursuant to section 24 of this Act: Provided, That no more than one of them may be a judge of a court of record of Guam. The concurrence of two judges shall be necessary to any decision of the appellate division of the district court on the merits of an appeal, but the presiding judge alone may make any appropriate orders with respect to an appeal prior to the hearing and determination thereof on the merits and may dismiss an appeal for want of jurisdiction or failure to take or prosecute it in accordance with the applicable law or rules of procedure.
(c)
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit shall have jurisdiction of appeals from all final decisions of the appellate division of the district court. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit shall have jurisdiction to promulgate rules necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection.
(d)
Upon the establishment of the appellate court provided for in section 22A(a) of this Act, which is known as the Supreme Court of Guam, all appeals from the decisions of the local courts not previously taken must be taken to such appellate court. The establishment of that appellate court shall not result in the loss of jurisdiction of the appellate division of the district court over any appeal then pending in it. The rulings of the appellate division of the district court on such appeals may be reviewed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and in the Supreme Court notwithstanding the establishment of the appellate court.
Sec. 22D.
[48 U.S.C. 1424–4]
Where appropriate, the provisions of part II of title 18 and of title 28, United States Code, and notwithstanding the provision in rule 54(a) Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure relating to the prosecution of criminal offenses on Guam by information, the rules of practice and procedure heretofore or hereafter promulgated and made effective by the Congress or the Supreme Court of the United States pursuant to titles 11, 18, and 28, United States Code, shall apply to the District Court of Guam and appeals thereform; except that the terms, “Attorney for the government” and “United States attorney”, as used in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall, when applicable to cases arising under the laws of Guam, including the Guam Territorial income tax, mean the Attorney General of Guam or such other person or persons as may be authorized by the laws of Guam to act therein.
Sec. 23.
[Repealed]
Sec. 24.
[48 U.S.C. 1424b]
(a)
The President shall, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint a judge for the District Court of Guam who shall hold office for the term of ten years and until his successor is chosen and qualified unless sooner removed by the President for cause. The judge shall receive a salary payable by the United States which shall be at the rate prescribed for judges of the United States district courts.
The Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of the United States may assign a judge of a local court of record or a judge of the High Court of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands or a circuit or district judge of the ninth circuit or a recalled senior judge of the District Court of Guam or of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Chief Justice of the United States may assign any other United States circuit or district judge with the consent of the judge so assigned and of the chief judge of his circuit, to serve temporarily as a judge in the District Court of Guam whenever it is made to appear that such an assignment is necessary for the proper dispatch of the business of the court.
(b)
The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a United States attorney and United States marshal for Guam to whose offices the provisions of chapters 35 and 37 of title 28, United States Code, respectively, shall apply.

miscellaneous
Sec. 25.
[48 U.S.C. 1421c]
(a)
The laws of Guam in force on the date of enactment of this Act, except as amended by this Act, are hereby continued in force, subject to modification or repeal by the Congress of the United States or the Legislature of Guam, and all laws of Guam inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.
(b)
[Repealed]
Sec. 26.
[48 U.S.C. 1421d]
The salaries and travel allowances of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the heads of the executive departments, other officers and employees of the government of Guam, and the members of the legislature, shall be paid by the government of Guam at rates prescribed by the laws of Guam.
Sec. 27.
[48 U.S.C. 1421e]
All articles coming into the United States from Guam shall be subject to or exempt from duty as provided for in section 301 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
Sec. 28.
[48 U.S.C. 1421f]
(a)
The title to all property, real and personal, owned by the United States and employed by the naval government of Guam in the administration of the civil affairs of the inhabitants of Guam, including automotive and other equipment, tools and machinery, water and sewerage facilities, bus lines and other utilities, hospitals, schools, and other buildings, shall be transferred to the government of Guam within ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(b)
All other property, real and personal, owned by the United States in Guam, not reserved by the President of the United States within ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act, is hereby placed under the control of the government of Guam, to be administered for the benefit of the people of Guam, and the legislature shall have authority, subject to such limitations as may be imposed upon its acts by this Act or subsequent Act of the Congress, to legislate with respect to such property, real and personal, in such manner as it may deem desirable.
(c)
All property owned by the United States in Guam, the title to which is not transferred to the government of Guam by subsection (a) hereof, or which is not placed under the control of the government of Guam by subsection (b) hereof, is transferred to the administrative supervision of the Secretary of the Interior except as the President may from time to time otherwise prescribe: Provided, That the Secretary of the Interior shall be authorized to lease or to sell, on such terms as he may deem in the public interest, any property, real and personal, of the United States under his administrative supervision in Guam not needed for public purposes.
Sec. 29.
[48 U.S.C. 1421g]
(a)
Subject to the laws of Guam, the Governor shall establish, maintain, and operate public-health services in Guam, including hospitals, dispensaries, and quarantine stations, at such places in Guam as may be necessary, and he shall promulgate quarantine and sanitary regulations for the protection of Guam against the importation and spread of disease.
(b)
The Government of Guam shall provide an adequate public educational system of Guam, and to that end shall establish, maintain, and operate public schools according to the laws of Guam.
(c)
The Government of Guam may by law establish an Office of Public Prosecutor and an Office of Public Auditor. The Public Prosecutor and Public Auditor may be removed as provided by the laws of Guam.
(d)
(1)
The Attorney General of Guam shall be the Chief Legal Officer of the Government of Guam. At such time as the Office of the Attorney General of Guam shall next become vacant, the Attorney General of Guam shall be appointed by the Governor of Guam with the advice and consent of the legislature, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor of Guam.
(2)
Instead of an appointed Attorney General, the legislature may, by law, provide for the election of the Attorney General of Guam by the qualified voters of Guam in general elections after 1998 in which the Governor of Guam is elected. The term of an elected Attorney General shall be 4 years. The Attorney General may be removed by the people of Guam according to the procedures specified in section 9–A of this Act or may be removed for cause in accordance with procedures established by the legislature in law. A vacancy in the office of an elected Attorney General shall be filled—
(A)
by appointment by the Governor of Guam if such vacancy occurs less than 6 months before a general election for the Office of Attorney General of Guam; or
(B)
by a special election held no sooner than 3 months after such vacancy occurs and no later than 6 months before a general election for Attorney General of Guam, and by appointment by the Governor of Guam pending a special election under this subparagraph.
Sec. 30.
[48 U.S.C. 1421h]
All customs duties and Federal income taxes derived from Guam, the proceeds of all taxes collected under the internal-revenue laws of the United States on articles produced in Guam and transported to the United States, its Territories, or possessions, or consumed in Guam, and the proceeds of any other taxes which may be levied by the Congress on the inhabitants of Guam (including, but not limited to, compensation paid to members of the Armed Forces and pensions paid to retired civilians and military employees of the United States, or their survivors who are residents of, or who are domiciled in, Guam), and all quarantine, passport, immigration, and naturalization fees collected in Guam shall be covered into the treasury of Guam and held in account for the government of Guam, and shall be expended for the benefit and government of Guam in accordance with the annual budgets; except that nothing in this Act shall be construed to apply to any tax imposed by chapter 2 or 21 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Beginning as soon as the government of Guam enacts legislation establishing a fiscal year commencing on October 1 and ending on September 30, the Secretary of the Treasury, prior to the commencement of any fiscal year, shall remit to the government of Guam the amount of duties, taxes, and fees which the Governor of Guam, with the concurrence of the government comptroller of Guam, has estimated will be collected in or derived from Guam under this section during the next fiscal year, except for those sums covered directly upon collection into the treasury of Guam. The Secretary of the Treasury shall deduct from or add to the amounts so remitted the difference between the amount of duties, taxes, and fees actually collected during the prior fiscal year and the amount of such duties, taxes, and fees as estimated and remitted at the beginning of that prior fiscal year, including any deductions which may be required as a result of the operation of Public Law 94–395 (90 Stat. 1199) or Public Law 88–170, as amended (82 Stat. 863).
Sec. 31.
[48 U.S.C. 1421i]
(a)
The income-tax laws in force in the United States of America and those which may hereafter be enacted shall be held to be likewise in force in Guam: Provided, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Legislature of Guam may levy a separate tax on all taxpayers in an amount not to exceed 10 per centum of their annual income tax obligation to the Government of Guam.
(b)
The income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be deemed to impose a separate Territorial income tax, payable to the government of Guam, which tax is designated the “Guam Territorial income tax”.
(c)
The administration and enforcement of the Guam Territorial income tax shall be performed by or under the supervision of the Governor. Any function needful to the administration and enforcement of the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be performed by any officer or employee of the government of Guam duly authorized by the Governor (either directly, or indirectly by one or more redelegations of authority) to perform such function.
(d)
(1)
The income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section include but are not limited to the following provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, where not manifestly inapplicable or incompatible with the intent of this section: Subtitle A (not including chapter 2 and section 931); chapters 24 and 25 of subtitle C, with reference to the collection of income tax at source on wages; and all provisions of subtitle F which apply to the income tax, including provisions as to crimes, other offenses, and forfeitures contained in chapter 75. For the period after 1950 and prior to the effective date of the repeal of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939 which corresponds to one or more of those provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 which are included in the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, such income-tax laws include but are not limited to such provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939.
(2)
The Governor or his delegate shall have the same administrative and enforcement powers and remedies with regard to the Guam Territorial income tax as the Secretary of the Treasury, and other United States officials of the executive branch, have with respect to the United States income tax. Needful rules and regulations not inconsistent with the regulations prescribed under section 7654(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 for enforcement of the Guam Territorial income tax shall be prescribed by the Governor. The Governor or his delegate shall have authority to issue, from time to time, in whole or in part, the text of the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(3)
In applying as the Guam Territorial income tax the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the rate of tax under sections 871, 881, 884, 1441, 1442, 1443, 1445, and 1446 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 on any item of income from sources within Guam shall be the same as the rate which would apply with respect to such item were Guam treated as part of the United States for purposes of the treaty obligations of the United States. The preceding sentence shall not apply to determine the rate of tax on any item of income received from a Guam payor if, for any taxable year, the taxes of the Guam payor were rebated under Guam law. For purposes of this subsection, the term “Guam payor” means the person from whom the item of income would be deemed to be received for purposes of claiming treaty benefits were Guam treated as part of the United States.
(e)
In applying as the Guam Territorial income tax the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, except where it is manifestly otherwise required, the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Codes of 1954 and 1939, shall be read so as to substitute “Guam” for “United States”, “Governor or his delegate” for “Secretary or his delegate”, “Governor or his delegate” for “Commissioner of Internal Revenue” and “Collector of Internal Revenue”, “District Court of Guam” for “district court” and with other changes in nomenclature and other language, including the omission of inapplicable language, where necessary to effect the intent of this section.
(f)
Any act or failure to act with respect to the Guam Territorial income tax which constitutes a criminal offense under chapter 75 of subtitle F of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or the corresponding provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939, as included in the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, shall be an offense against the government of Guam and may be prosecuted in the name of the government of Guam by the appropriate officers thereof.
(g)
The government of Guam shall have a lien with respect to the Guam Territorial income tax in the same manner and with the same effect, and subject to the same conditions, as the United States has a lien with respect to the United States income tax. Such lien in respect of the Guam Territorial income tax shall be enforceable in the name of and by the government of Guam. Where filing of a notice of lien is prescribed by the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, such notice shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of Guam.
(h)
(1)
Notwithstanding any provision of section 22 of this Act or any other provision of law to the contrary, the District Court of Guam shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over all judicial proceedings in Guam, both criminal and civil, regardless of the degree of the offense or of the amount involved, with respect to the Guam Territorial income tax.
(2)
Suits for the recovery of any Guam Territorial income tax alleged to have been erroneously or illegally assessed or collected, or of any penalty claimed to have been collected without authority, or of any sum alleged to have been excessive or in any manner wrongfully collected, under the income-tax laws in force in Guam, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, may, regardless of the amount of claim, be maintained against the government of Guam subject to the same statutory requirements as are applicable to suits for the recovery of such amounts maintained against the United States in the United States district courts with respect to the United States income tax. When any judgment against the government of Guam under this paragraph has become final, the Governor shall order the payment of such judgments out of any unencumbered funds in the treasury of Guam.
(3)
Execution shall not issue against the Governor or any officer or employee of the government of Guam on a final judgment in any proceeding against him for any acts or for the recovery of money exacted by or paid to him and subsequently paid into the treasury of Guam, in performing his official duties under the income-tax laws in force in Guam pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, if the court certifies that—
(A)
probable cause existed; or
(B)
such officer or employee acted under the directions of the Governor or his delegate.
When such certificate has been issued, the Governor shall order the payment of such judgment out of any unencumbered funds in the treasury of Guam.
(4)
A civil action for the collection of the Guam Territorial income tax, together with fines, penalties, and forfeitures, or for the recovery of any erroneous refund of such tax, may be brought in the name of and by the government of Guam in the District Court of Guam or in any district court of the United States or in any court having the jurisdiction of a district court of the United States.
(5)
The jurisdiction conferred upon the District Court of Guam by this subsection shall not be subject to transfer to any other court by the legislature, notwithstanding section 22(a) of this Act.
Sec. 32.
[48 U.S.C. 1421j]
There are hereby authorized to be appropriated annually by the Congress of the United States such sums as may be necessary and appropriate to carry out the provisions and purposes of this Act.
Sec. 33.
[48 U.S.C. 1421k]
Nothing contained herein shall be construed as limiting the authority of the President to designate parts of Guam as naval or military reservations, nor to restrict his authority to treat Guam as a closed port with respect to the vessels and aircraft of foreign nations.
Sec. 34.
[48 U.S.C. 1421 note]
Upon the 21st day of July 1950, the anniversary of the liberation of the island of Guam by the Armed Forces of the United States in World War II, the authority and powers conferred by this Act shall come into force. However, the President is authorized, for a period not to exceed one year from the date of enactment of this Act, to continue the administration of Guam in all or in some respects as provided by law, Executive order, or local regulation in force on the date of enactment of this Act. The President may, in his discretion, place in operation all or some of the provisions of this Act if practicable before the expiration of the period of one year.
Sec. 35.
[48 U.S.C. 1421k–l]
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the clerk hire allowance and the transportation expenses subject to reimbursement under Federal law of the Delegate from Guam to the United States House of Representatives shall each be the same as allowed for Members of the United States House of Representatives.