eptember 21, 1983: Guam Delegate Antonio B. Won Pat introduced H.R. 3954 in the 98th Congress, which proposed the establishment of a “commission to review the facts and circumstances surrounding Guamanian losses caused by the occupation of Guam by Japanese Imperial forces in World War II.”

November 1985: Guam Delegate Ben Blaz introduced H.R. 3758 in the 99th Congress, which would have directed “the Comptroller General of the United States to review the report and findings of the Guam Reparations Commission.”

July 17, 1986: Delegate Blaz introduced H.R. 5187 in the 99th Congress, which sought “to establish a Commission on war claims for Guam.”

August 1987: Delegate Blaz introduced H.R. 3191 in the 100th Congress, which sought to establish a “Commission on War Reparations for Guam.”

April 18, 1989: Delegate Blaz introduced H.R. 2024 in the 101st Congress, which sought to “amend the Organic Act of Guam” to provide compensation to any eligible person who received a compensable injury (death, personal injury, or forced labor) as a result of World War II. It also sought to establish a Guam Claims Fund in the amount of $20 million from which eligible claimants would receive $20,000 for death, $5,000 for personal injury and $3,000 for forced labor, forced march or internment.

April 1990: US Senator Dan Inouye, Delegate Ron de Lugo and Congressman Robert Lagomarsino wrote to the Guam Legislature asking that they support H.R. 2024, which was amended to overcome President George Bush’s administration’s objections to the bill. They wrote that they would only sponsor the legislation if it received support from Guam.

July 9, 1990: Governor Joseph F. Ada as Chairman of the Guam War Reparations Commission proposed amendments to H.R. 2024, which included raising reparation amounts to $15,000 for personal injury, $10,000 for forced labor and $7,000 for forced march or internment.

January 23, 1991: The Guam Legislature passed a resolution supporting the amendments suggested by the Guam War Reparations Commission. Senator Inouye, Delegate De Lugo and Congressman Lagomarsino did not see this as a positive response from the Guam Legislature, nor did they support the proposed amount increases and other changes. They decided it was not worthwhile to promote H.R. 2024 and the Legislation was dropped. 

August 1994: Guam Delegate Robert Underwood introduced H.R. 4741 in the 103rd Congress, which also aimed to amend the Organic Act to provide restitution to the people of Guam who suffered during the war. The bill, which was called the Guam Restitution Act, sought $20,000 as compensation for death, $7,000 for injury, and $5,000 for forced labor, march and interment. The total cost to the federal government would have been between $20 million and $80 million. The bill also sought to set up a trust fund using the remaining balance after awards were paid to living survivors that would sponsor research and educational activities relating to Guam’s wartime experience; disperse funds to eligible claimants for post-secondary scholarship and first-time homeownership loans; and for administrative expenses. 

July 1995: Delegate Underwood introduced H.R. 2041 in the 104th Congress, which was very similar to H.R. 4741 except that it more clearly defined eligibility requirements for living Guamanians, or the heirs or next of kin of deceased Guamanians who suffered during the occupation of Guam in World War II. It also sought to create a Guam Trust Fund like H.R. 4741, but clearly defined those eligible for awards as Guamanians who personally received injury during World War II or their heirs or next of kin.  

July 1997: Delegate Underwood introduced H.R. 2200 in the 105th Congress, which also sought to amend the Organic Act and set up a trust fund.

February 11, 1999: Delegate Underwood originally introduced H.R. 755 in the 106th Congress as the Guam War Restitution Act, but later amended it into the Guam War Claims Review Commission Act. This new version of the legislation would establish a federal commission to “determine whether there was parity of war claims paid to the residents of Guam under the Guam Meritorious Claims Act as compared with awards made to other similarly affected U.S. citizens or nationals in territory occupied by the Japanese Imperial military forces during World War II.”

September 12, 2000: H.R. 755, the Guam War Claims Review Commission Act passed in the House of Representatives and was reported to the Senate the next day. The bill died in the Senate. 

March 13, 2001: H.R. 308, Delegate Underwood’s reintroduced version of the Guam War Claims Review Commission Act, was passed by the House of Representatives.

November 20, 2002: The Senate passed H.R. 308 without amendment and by unanimous consent.

December 16, 2002: President George W. Bush signed H.R. 308, which then became Public Law 107-333 and established the Guam War Claims Review Commission.

December 8 & 9, 2003: the Guam War Claims Review Commission held public hearings at the Guam Legislature Session Hall. They heard from 104 people including survivors, relatives of survivors, government officials and historians. Most testimonies were from survivors relaying horrific incidents of murder, beatings, rape, and torture of the people of Guam during the occupation.

June 2004: After extensive research, review, discussion and analysis, the Guam War Claims Review Commission found that the United States has a moral obligation to pay compensation for war damages suffered by Guam residents during World War II. They recommended that $25,000 be paid to the descendents of those who were killed during the war, and $12,000 be paid to each person who was a resident of Guam during the Japanese occupation.

April 13, 2005: Delegate Madeleine Bordallo introduced H.R. 1595 in the 109th Congress to implement the recommendations of the Guam War Claims Review Commission. The bill, which was called the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act, sought war claims in the amounts of $25,000 for death, which would be paid to the descendents of those who were killed in the war; $15,000 for victims who were raped or suffered personal injury; $12,000 or $10,000 (depending on injury) for those who were subjected to forced labor or suffered personal injury; and $7,000 for descendents of deceased survivors. The bill also sought to establish a grant program for research, educational, and media activities that memorialize events surrounding the occupation of Guam and honor survivors.

January 6, 2009: Delegate Bordallo introduced H.R. 44 in the 111th Congress. The bill mirrored H.R. 1595 and was also called Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act.

Feb 23, 2009: H.R. 44 passed in the House of Representatives, but was never voted on in the Senate.

June 25, 2009: The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which included an amendment that added to the bill the text of H.R. 44. The amendment, however did not make it to the Senate because Senators Carl Levin and John McCain would only keep Guam’s war claims in the final defense bill if they were awarded solely to descendents of those killed during the war and to living survivors, not to their heirs. Delegate Madeleine Bordallo rejected this counter proposal.

May 27, 2010: the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, which includes an amendment that added to the bill the text of H.R. 44. The bill has yet to be passed by the Senate.

SOURCES: Guam War Claims Review Commission Report on the Implementation of the Guam Meritorious Claims Act of 1945, GovTrack.us, and the official website of Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo