Senate committee hears veterans and officials on proposal for Guam Veteran Cemetery renovation fund

The Guam Legislature’s Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs heard hours of testimony June 15 on Bill 321-38, a measure introduced by Vice Speaker Tony Atta that would establish a Guam Veteran Cemetery Renovation and Expansion Fund and direct the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs (GOVA) to include a budget request of not less than $1 million annually for at least 10 years.

The bill’s sponsor, Vice Speaker Tony Atta, framed the proposal as a way to preserve a "hallowed ground" for veterans and their families and to ensure the cemetery remains a "serene, meticulously maintained setting." "Freedom is not free," Atta said in opening remarks, urging action to repair and expand cemetery capacity.

Nut graf: The hearing centered less on whether the cemetery needs work and more on how to pay for it. Agency leaders, past directors and veterans endorsed the goal but repeatedly told senators the bill, as written, does not guarantee the funding it asks GOVA to seek. They urged clearer fiscal language, stronger grant-writing capacity and quicker action on pending federal grants that could supply most of the money.

Director Jose Augustine, who leads GOVA, described long-standing structural problems at the cemetery and stressed that many crypts date to the 1960s and were built with inferior materials. Augustine told senators the agency can put projects together but needs time, vetting and contracting: when asked about a federal pre-application expansion opportunity he warned the committee that the design and consultant timelines are tight and said, "we're probably going to not make it — more likely we're not going to make it by 30 September." He also said GOVA has pursued ARP funds in recent budget cycles and is working with the National Cemetery Administration on potential federal assistance.

Several veterans and former GOVA directors supported creating a sustained funding mechanism but pressed the committee for specificity. Retired public servant Stefan A. Amagen and former GOVA director Fred E. Bdalio Jr. urged the committee to identify existing local trust funds and federal grant paths before enacting a new special fund; they also recommended a multi-year master plan, a veterans advisory group, and protections against transferring or diverting deposits. "There are areas that could be strengthened — support the capacity claims with official data," Amagen said in testimony.

Other witnesses were more blunt. Veteran Christopher Kamacha Flores told senators the bill is "halfcocked" and warned that asking the director to request a million dollars annually does not make the money guaranteed; he urged hiring dedicated grant-writing staff instead. GOVA staff and other witnesses echoed that appeal: multiple speakers urged adding a permanent grant-writer position so the agency can pursue federal Veterans Administration grants that in the past have ranged into the millions.

Committee members spent substantial time pressing the director on where the money would come from if the request is made annually. Sponsors and several senators said the bill's intent is to institutionalize an annual request so matching funds will be available to leverage federal grants; critics said the measure stops short of an appropriation and risks creating expectations without a secured revenue source. The committee’s fiscal reviewers also noted the bill does not identify a specific fund source and does not guarantee the legislature will appropriate the requested amounts.

A separate but related source of urgency emerged during questioning: GOVA and senators confirmed the agency had pursued a large National Cemetery Administration pre-application now at risk because a required consultant contract is unsigned. The chair read a statement from the Attorney General’s Office saying AG staff returned the file to the Department of Public Works on June 2 for missing procurement documents and that DPW had not resubmitted those documents as of the hearing — a delay that the chair warned could force the federal program to reallocate the money elsewhere.

What’s next: The committee will take the testimony into account in markup sessions. Sponsors said they plan to refine the bill language to clarify funding mechanics and reporting and to work with GOVA, DPW and the AG to resolve procurement holdups so federal design and matching deadlines can be met. No formal action or vote was recorded at the hearing.

Sources: testimony at the Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs public hearing (June 15, 2026), including statements by Vice Speaker Tony Atta, Director Jose Augustine, Stefan A. Amagen, Fred E. Bdalio Jr., Christopher Kamacha Flores, and staff communications from the Attorney General’s Office.