The Legislature of Guam () 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 () was elected in November 2024.

The next election will be in 2026.

History

American Period: 1898–1941, 1944–present Spain 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, 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.

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 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 Legislature Speaker Born-Died Term Party1st Guam LegislatureAntonio B. Won Pat(1908–1987)January 1, 1951 – January 3, 1955 Popular Party2nd Guam Legislature3rd Guam LegislatureFrancisco B. Leon Guerrero(1897–1974)January 3, 1955 – January 7, 1957 Territorial Party4th Guam LegislatureAntonio B. Won Pat(1908–1987)January 7, 1957 – January 4, 1965 Popular Party5th Guam Legislature6th Guam Legislature7th Guam Legislature8th Guam LegislatureCarlos P. Taitano(1917–2009)January 4, 1965 – January 2, 1967 Territorial Party9th Guam LegislatureJoaquin C. "Kin" Arriola(1925–2022)January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971 Democratic10th Guam Legislature11th Guam LegislatureFlorencio T. Ramirez(1915–1995)January 4, 1971 – January 6, 197512th Guam Legislature13th Guam LegislatureJoseph F. Ada(b. 1943)January 6, 1975 – January 1, 1979 Republican14th Guam Legislature15th Guam LegislatureThomas V.C. Tanaka(b. 1940)January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983 Republican16th Guam Legislature17th Guam LegislatureCarl T.C. Gutierrez(b. 1941)January 3, 1983 – January 5, 1987 Democratic18th Guam Legislature19th Guam LegislatureFranklin J. Arceo Quitugua(1933–2015)January 5, 1987 – January 2, 198920th Guam LegislatureJoe T. San Agustin(1931–2021)January 2, 1989 – January 2, 199521st Guam Legislature22nd Guam Legislature23rd Guam LegislatureDon Parkinson(1942–2020)January 2, 1995 – January 6, 199724th Guam LegislatureAntonio "Tony" R. Unpingco(1942–2007)January 6, 1997 – January 6, 2003 Republican25th Guam Legislature26th Guam Legislature27th Guam LegislatureVicente "Ben" C. Pangelinan(1955–2014)January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005 Democratic28th Guam LegislatureMark Forbes(1954–2025)January 3, 2005 – March 7, 2008 Republican 29th Guam Legislature 29th Guam LegislatureJudith T. Won Pat(b. 1949)March 7, 2008 – January 2, 2017 Democratic30th Guam Legislature31st Guam Legislature32nd Guam Legislature33rd Guam Legislature34th Guam LegislatureBenjamin J.F. Cruz(b. 1951)January 2, 2017 – August 28, 2018Therese M. Terlaje (acting)(b. 1964)August 28, 2018 – January 7, 201935th Guam LegislatureTina Muña Barnes(b. 1962)January 7, 2019 – January 4, 202136th Guam LegislatureTherese M. Terlaje(b. 1964)January 4, 2021 – January 6, 202537th Guam Legislature38th Guam LegislatureFrank F. Blas Jr.(b. 1962)January 6, 2025 – present 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 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: (D), (P), (R), and (T). Legislative Term Election Democrats Republicans Independents/Other Total SeatsGuam Election Commission. 2016 Election Comparative Analysis Report. Hagatna, 2017. 1st Guam Legislature 1950 0 0 21 21 2nd Guam Legislature 1952 0 0 21 21 3rd Guam Legislature 1954 0 0 21 21 4th Guam Legislature 1956 0 0 21 21 5th Guam Legislature 1958 0 0 21 21 6th Guam Legislature 1960 0 0 21 21 7th Guam Legislature 1962 0 0 21 21 8th Guam Legislature 1964 0 0 21 21 9th Guam Legislature 1966 21 0 0 21 10th Guam Legislature 1968 21 0 0 21 11th Guam Legislature 1970 15 6 0 21 12th Guam Legislature 1972 14 7 0 21 13th Guam Legislature 1974 9 12 0 21 14th Guam Legislature 1976 8 13 0 21 15th Guam Legislature 1978 7 14 0 21 16th Guam Legislature 1980 10 11 0 21 17th Guam Legislature 1982 14 7 0 21 18th Guam Legislature 1984 11 10 0 21 19th Guam Legislature 1986 13 8 0 21 20th Guam Legislature 1988 13 8 0 21 21st Guam Legislature 1990 12 9 0 21 22nd Guam Legislature 1992 13 8 0 21 23rd Guam Legislature 1994 13 8 0 21 24th Guam Legislature 1996 10 11 0 21 25th Guam Legislature 1998 3 12 0 15 26th Guam Legislature 2000 7 8 0 15 27th Guam Legislature 2002 9 6 0 15 28th Guam Legislature 2004 6 9 0 15 29th Guam Legislature 2006 7 8 0 15 Jan. 2008 8 7 0 15 30th Guam Legislature 2008 10 5 0 15 2009 9 6 0 15 31st Guam Legislature 2010 9 6 0 15 32nd Guam Legislature 2012 9 6 0 15 33rd Guam Legislature 2014 9 6 0 15 34th Guam Legislature 2016 9 6 0 15 35th Guam Legislature 2018 10 5 0 15 36th Guam Legislature 2020 8 7 0 1537th Guam Legislature 20229601538th Guam Legislature 202469015

See also List of state and territorial capitols in the United States

References

External links Guam Legislature's Official Website