Del. Michael San Nicolas said he supports the intent of Adelup's quick payout of war claims, however, he's concerned with the impact it may have.
"My office was not consulted in this decision, and the upcoming markup hearing on H.R. 1365 does not include addressing this local action," Guam's delegate to congress said Friday in a written statement to The Guam Daily Post. "I certainly want every claim to be paid as quickly as possible."
Del. San Nicolas has some concerns about Adelup's plan, including parity, causing a possible delay in remaining payouts, and the possibility that some will be paid twice – once by the local government and again by the U.S. Department of Treasury via the federal Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act that paved the way for war reparations.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, during a Friday press conference, told reporters that the administration working with Washington, D.C., to address the mechanics of the payment. Adelup's plan would use local funds to pay claims to WWII survivors. Other claimants, including descendants of survivors, will have to wait for the reparations as the fixes of the Loyalty Recognition Act go through the lawmaking process.
"If the local government is able to absorb war claims payments, the local government needs to pay everyone who was and who will be adjudicated, not just some, as this is an equal protection issue with case law in our EITC and COLA case histories," San Nicolas stated. "Any work now to change the federal war claims structure that has already been adopted will set the clock back for everyone, and I will not do that as it will cause delays for the thousands of others still waiting."
He added, "At the end of the day, this new initiative will result in all war claimants getting two checks, one from the local government and one from the federal government."
